


A Story for Suzie

by Crazyeight



Category: Digimon Tamers
Genre: F/M, Fantasy, Gen, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-18
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-02-05 06:25:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 47
Words: 131,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1808626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazyeight/pseuds/Crazyeight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Suzie is sick and wants to hear a story from her older brother. With a bit of inspiration, Henry has one to tell, though before it ends he might wish he hadn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A Story for Suzie

  
A Digimon Tamers story by Crazyeight

  
Chapter: 01

  
“Whoa!”

  
Up.

  
“Terriermon…”

  
“Whee!!!”

  
Down.

  
“Iyaaah!!!”

  
Up.

  
“Ha! Ha!”

  
“Terriermon…”

  
Down.

  
Henry Wong sighed, his head in his hand as he watched his friend, a cream and green-colored furred digital life form with ears that made him look more like a rabbit than his namesake implied, bounced up into the air once more before coming back down onto the bed and fix him with a questioning stare with his big, black eyes.

  
“What?”

  
“Please stop doing that,” Henry implored. “It’s very distracting.”

  
“Boy, somebody’s missing the days when I had to pretend to be a doll all the time,” Terriermon huffed, folding his tiny arms over his round chest and frowning.

  
“I don’t,” Henry sighed again in exasperation.

  
“You don’t?”

  
“No, it’s just… It’s like I said: it’s distracting.”

  
“Henry, all you’re doing is coding some program. You do it so much I bet you could do it in your sleep and not have a problem. It’s no big deal. Me on the other hand? Do you have any idea how hard it is to stay perfectly still for hours and hours while Suzie dresses you in

funny clothes?” A pained look appeared on his face and he seemed to shrink in on himself. “Until the Devas came along I didn’t think I would ever be able to blink again.”

  
“All right, enough with the guilt trip.” Shaking his head, Henry turned back to his computer screen.

  
“Momentai, Henry. I didn’t mean it.” Hopping down from thebed, Terriermon strolled over to where Henry sat and, using his ears like arms and hands, climbed up onto the boy’s shoulder, his usual spot. “What’re you working on?”

  
“I’m trying to understand how the code for our digivices work. It’s the same one that Shibumi used for digimon, the Arc, and the blue cards. I’d like to know why they’re sentient but our digivices aren’t.”

  
“Maybe they are and you just don’t know it,” Terriermon suggested, hopping down. Henry raised an eyebrow at him.

  
“What makes you say…?”

  
Before he could finish his sentence, the door to his room creaked open and in walked Henry’s younger sister, Suzie Wong holding a pillow to her chest while behind her stood a chocolate-colored clone of Terriermon, ears raised in apprehension. Suzie wobbled on her feet as she clutched at the door, face flushed. Henry was on his feet in an instant upon seeing her, alarmed.

  
“Suzie! What are you doing out of bed! You should be resting!”

  
“I’m sorry,” the brown-colored digimon—Lopmon, who, unlike her counterpart, was meant to be a rabbit—apologized. “She insisted on leaving her room.”

  
“I can’t sleep big bwother,” Suzie mumbled. “Can I come in here?”

  
_Oh man…_ Taking hold of her, Henry lifted her over to the bed and laid her down. “All right, but only if you promise to sleep, okay?”

  
“Hope you had your shots, Henry,” Terriermon joked. Henry shot him a dark glare that caused Terriermon to raise his ears up in a placating gesture. “Sorry Henry. Don’t worry Suzie, with Lopmon and I here we’ll make sure you drop right off to dreamland. How does that sound?”

  
Suzie offered the rabbit-dog digimon a wan smile as she snuggled under Henry’s blankets. Henry propped her pillow under her blanket and smiled reassuringly.

  
“Do you need anything? Water? Juice?”

  
“Could you tell me a story?” Suzie whispered. Henry gaped, looking at her and then at his computer, as though resistant to do so.

  
_Oh, who am I kidding?_ he thought, surrendering to the situation with a resigned smile. _It’s not like I can’t work on that any other time._

  
“All right. What story would you like to hear?” he asked, getting up to go to her room where all her bedtime books were. “Peach Boy? Am I Small? The Great Potato? Carp Streamers?”

  
Suzie shook her head.

  
“Guess she doesn’t want to hear any of those, Henry,” observed Terriermon.

  
“Thanks for pointing out the obvious.”

  
“She’s read all her books today,” Lopmon supplied.

  
“I don’t have any that I can read to her,” Henry said, rubbing the back of his head while his brow worked itself into knots. “I gave mine all to her when she turned three.”

  
“So? Make one up!”

  
“I… Terriermon, I can’t make up stories.”

  
“Why not?”

  
“I just… I’ve…I’ve never told one in my life!”

  
“Oh come on, you lied to your parents during the entire time you were keeping me a secret from them. This shouldn’t be too hard.” Turning toward the little girl Terriermon smiled. “What do you say? Do you want Henry to tell you a story you’ve never heard before?”

  
“Yeah!” At that, Suzie’s spirit seemed to perk up. “I want a stowy about a pwincess and a knight and a castle…”

  
“Hold on…” Henry began.

  
“But I want a stowy about a pwincess and a knight!” Suzie gave him a sorrowful, pleading face that caused Henry to rub the bridge of his nose. Clearly the fates conspired to make his evening as difficult as possible.

  
“Please?” Suzie whispered. “I’ll be quiet and I’ll go wight to bed!”

  
“Got to say Henry, that’s a pretty good deal for making stuff up on the spot.”

  
Henry groaned and pulled his chair over. “You’re not the one having to make stuff up.” Sitting himself down, Henry racked his brains for something that would get the ball rolling.

  
_Knights and princesses huh? Kind of old fashioned, but…_ He closed his eyes, deepening his thoughts. _This is crazy. I can’t come up with stories. This is just…_

  
There came a spark of inspiration as Takato and Rika suddenly came to mind.

  
_Oh!_

  
“All right,” Henry said, moving closer to Suzie, smiling. “I’ve got one about a princess and a knight. Are you ready?”

  
Burrowing herself deeper into the blankets and eyes sparkling, Suzie nodded eagerly, waiting to hear what kind of tale her older brother would weave as he said the words that began many a story.

  
“Once upon a time…”


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don’t own Digimon.

  
A Story for Suzie

  
Chapter: 2

  
In a land far, far away, there strode a brown-haired, crimson-eyed youth, a tattered red cloak wrapped him, covering a mud-stained white shirt with a symbol—three triangles surrounding a fourth and connected together by a ring—emblazoned on his chest. At his side was girded a sword, simple in appearance with a bronze pommel. He led a rust-colored horse behind him, bags strapped to it, alongside a gold-ringed shield. In the past, the youth was known as the Crimson Knight. To his friends he was simply Takato Matsuki. To himself, that was all he was and though he once saw himself as something more, he didn’t any longer. Now he simply contented himself with making his way through the countryside, seeking a path, though what path that was didn’t matter. just as long as there was a path for him to tread upon.

  
Behind him his horse—whom he named Guilmon once upon a time—whickered and Takato smiled over his shoulder, though his lips didn’t touch his eyes.  
“Don’t worry boy,” he soothed. “We’ll make camp soon, I promise.”

  
Nearly stumbling over a rock that protruded from the ground, Takato bit back a curse of annoyance. He had hoped that they would come across a village or town this way…somewhere that they could find shelter. He could smell rain on the air. He hated rain. It made making a fire difficult, made his clothes damp, and the ground turned to mud. He slogged through enough mud in his life to hate it and he wished he never had to deal with it for as long as he lived.

  
_Too bad my luck is never that good_ , Takato mused miserably. _It’s always piling something on me, one thing after another._

  
He felt the muzzle of his horse nuzzle against his elbow as if sensing his dark thoughts. Reaching around, he patted him on the head, grateful for his presence.

  
“Yeah, I know boy. I should be happy. The war’s over.”

  
Yet, in spite of those words, he could not bring himself to feel happy. Just a panging…bitterness hung about him like a tapestry, and until he could get over it, he couldn’t go home. As far as he was concerned, he was still there, fighting the war, only now it was inside him—an enemy he couldn’t fight; an enemy he couldn’t destroy. Not without destroying himself.

  
Better to be as far away from the people he loved and everything he called home until he healed.

  
The face of a girl with brown hair tied into a solitary pigtail flashed through his mind, and he quickly pushed it away. He wasn’t certain that he could at all heal. Not after what was lost.

  
On they traveled, and a rumble of thunder rumbled off in the distance, causing Takato to draw up short and groan. Yes. It seemed the universe was absolutely determined to cause him trouble wherever his travels took him.

  
###

  
He and Guilmon now lay beneath the shelter of a large tree, a section of its roots raised up just enough to make a decent home for the night, offering ample room for the horse to stand and eat his feed while simultaneously providing a simple hole in its ‘ceiling’ for a campfire. It all seemed too good to be true, but at this point Takato wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth—whatever that saying meant.

  
 _I’ll probably regret it later,_ he thought, poking at the fire and blowing on it to encourage it to burn a little brighter so as to catch on the kindling. Luck—good luck—held and the flames eagerly licked at the wood. Takato leaned back into his cloak, set up as a makeshift blanket, and folded it around him, sighing heavily. Outside, the rumbling grew louder and Guilmon’s ears twitched and flitted, but he continued to gulp down food. Takato smiled at him, knowing full well that the horse’s appetite was bottomless.  
_At least I have enough money to buy some more the next time we visit a town. I don’t know how we’re going to get by once winter hits. Maybe by then I’ll be able to go home._  
 _Home…_

  
He looked up through their ‘chimney’ and his eyes became thoughtful and contemplative. He wondered how his friends, Kazu and Kenta were doing.

  
_They should be home by now. Their unit left before I did. I hope they aren’t worrying about me. I don’t want them going out looking for me. They’ll probably get lost if they did._ He gave a dry chuckle. Knowing his friends as he did, he was confident that such a thing would happen. It did so once before. _Maybe this time they’ll have better sense._

  
Guilmon snorted in his feedbag and turned an eye toward him.

  
“Great,” Takato said. “Now you’re going to make me feel responsible, aren’t you?”

  
Guilmon snorted again and resumed eating. Whether it was the horse’s intention or not, Takato felt a pang of guilt all the same. Kazu and Kenta were his closest friends. Once enough time passed they would come looking for him.

  
Not wanting to think about it right now, Takato shifted in his spot and closed his eyes, determined to get some rest. The day had been long and tomorrow was going to be even longer.

  
###

  
The rain didn’t leave him alone, even in his dreams. He was pelted by it and a sharp wind buffered him on all sides, causing his shirt to blow around him, allowing the cold to slip in and snake around his body. Takato tried to clamp down around it with his arms to keep the chill out, but found himself unable to do so. In the blue mist that surrounded him, he found his gaze drawn inexplicably downward, whereupon he spied a girl standing tall before a burning beast he had never seen before. It snarled angrily at the girl, but she didn’t seem to be the least bit concerned about the beast. Her violet eyes were as steel, unyielding and unblinking, even with her hair, as bright and fiery as the animal before her, blew in front of them. Adjusting her grip on the bronze vajra staff she held in her hand, she brought it down to point at the burning animal. Mouthing incantations that Takato could only just barely hear above the wind, she unleashed four fiery fox-like apparitions that surrounded the beast and immediately began attacking it. The animal howled in fury, slashing at the apparitions, but its blazing claws did no more damage than it would attacking thin air.

  
The foxes however were quite the opposite. Great, gaping wounds burst forth from its body, sending sparkling light bleeding into the air. The foxes continued their devastating attacks until, finally, the animal crashed to the ground, the fires surrounding its body dying down to little more than embers as it stilled, becoming less and less responsive. Finally, as the foxes withdrew, the last of its light vanished, leaving nothing more than a smoldering corpse lying in the rain.

  
The girl, her expression though hard, took on a touch of sadness for but a moment. The moment vanished quickly however as she turned and looked in his direction. Her brow furrowed slightly in suspicion and curiosity, and she spoke.

  
“Who are you?”

  
That was when Takato awoke with a jolt and smacked his forehead against the ‘ceiling’ of his campsite.

  
###

  
“Ow, ow, ow, ow…”

  
Takato rubbed the swelling bruise on his head as he finished retracting the feedbag from around Guilmon’s face. The horse snorted, glad to be free from the confines of the bag.

  
“Sorry about that,” Takato apologized, petting him down. “Are you ready to go?”

  
Guilmon tossed his head and snorted again, apparently more than ready. With a light laugh, the youth went to finish putting out the fire and collect his things. Sword back around his waist and supplies plus shield repacked, the pair took to the path once more, Takato taking a moment to thank the tree for its generosity. He took a deep breath as they plodded along, his lungs basking in the fresh air. Yes, there was mud, and that made the walk somewhat hard going, but the sun was out and birds were chirping. It all left him feeling deeply refreshed and he thought he could walk to the end of the Earth, a far cry from how he felt yesterday.

  
_Aside from the bump on my head that is…_ Takato grumbled, rubbing at the offending bruise once more. There was nothing he could do about it though except to wait for the swelling to go down and nature to take care of itself.

  
_I wonder what the deal was with that dream,_ he thought, brushing aside a twig from a low-hanging branch that threatened to poke him in the eye. _I hope I’m not getting visions again. That’s the last thing I need. All they do is get me into trouble. Literally._

  
The day wore on as he and his steed pressed forward. As they did so, Takato found himself becoming peripherally aware of an acrid stench. At first he thought that it might be smoke from his fire that had gotten in his clothes, but it only grew stronger as he traveled. Repeated questing with his nose from both his clothes and that of Guilmon revealed nothing.

  
_Something’s burning ahead. Or burnt. Whatever it is, it’s big._ Reaching down he loosened his sword in his sheath—an old habit—and continued on. Already his dream seemed to be more and more a reality.

  
In the end, he was not in the least bit surprised when he came upon the burnt body of the creature from his dream, lying prone in the middle of a clearing.

  
“Stay here Guilmon,” Takato said to his horse as he dropped the reins. Drawing his sword he carefully approached the dead beast.

  
_It looks a little bit like a Nue,_ he thought, flanking the corpse and taking in its massive form. It was lion shaped, much like the yokai of legend, only it lacked the distinguishing features—what features remained identifiable—of the mythical monster. The tail looked fairly common of the large cats, the tigers, as opposed to a snake tail, and from what he could make out from the face it was decidedly feline and not anything like a monkey. Approaching it carefully he prodded the monster with the point of his sword, and he let out a sigh of relief when it didn’t respond.

  
The small nudge at the base of his spine nearly caused him to cry out in shock.

  
“Guilmon!” he scolded his horse upon whirling around, sword raised. Rolling his eyes he took hold of his reins once more. “I told you to wait over there! Why didn’t you?”

  
Guilmon simply tossed his head and neighed at him, as though to say, “Why are you asking me for? You can’t understand me.”

  
Not that the lack of a translation stopped Takato. “Very funny, Guilmon. What would you have done if that thing was undead or something?”

  
The horse simply stared at him as though he were stupid. Takato, as always, filled in the blanks for himself. Guilmon, being a trained warhorse, would do one of two things: either attempt to trample the offending demon in an attempt to save his master, or bolt for the hills. Given what the horse went through by Takato’s side, the former was far more likely than the latter.

  
“What am I going to do with you?” the youth asked rhetorically, sheathing his sword. He didn’t expect an answer this time, though Guilmon looked at him with what he could only imagine was amusement. Truly, the minds of horses were indeed a mystery to him. “Well, there’s nothing that I can learn here. Might as well keep going.”

  
Giving the dead creature wide berth, he and Guilmon proceeded onward, though he gave some attention to the ground, looking for traces of the girl from his dream. Was she real, like this creature turned out to be? Or was there nothing more to the dream than a coincidence.

  
_She saw me,_ he thought. _She saw me in my dream._ He shuddered. He really hoped there was nothing to his dream. Because if there were, it could only mean disaster would follow in his footsteps.

  
Just as it did before, on the last day of the war.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don’t own Digimon.

  
A Story for Suzie

  
Chapter: 3

  
“Why are you stopping?” asked Suzie, her hands tightly clinging to the blanket as she looked at her brother expectantly. “Takato didn’t meet the pwincess yet!”

  
“Just a second Suzie,” Henry said, smiling at his little sister in a placating manner. “I just need to check on something.”

  
Tapping a few buttons on his computer’s keyboard, he heard a small beep from his speakers. Nodding to himself he turned back to Suzie and sat down.

  
“All set?” asked Terriermon. Henry nodded. “It’s about time,” the rabbit-dog continued, sitting back and crossing his arms over his chest in false annoyance. “Suzie’s right. You don’t stop a story like that. What were you thinking?”

  
Henry fixed his partner with a sharp look before returning his attention to Suzie, a smile on his face.

  
“Okay. Where was I?”

  
###

  
Brushing aside some dirt, a red-haired girl carrying a bronze, vajra staff bent down to analyze the hoof marks she had been following.

  
_Yeah…_ she thought. _They’re the same as before._ Getting up, her eyes, a cool, deep night of violet, followed the tracks to a tree with upraised roots. Heading over to it, she dropped down and sniffed the air, smelling smoke from the buried ashes, still containing a smoldering coal. She looked over the impressions in the dirt floor of the ‘house’.

  
_He’s human all right._ She tilted her head to one side, noting a particular indentation sitting off to where the camper lay. _Armed too. Looks like a sword judging by the groove._

  
She narrowed her eyes, wondering if that meant that this person, whoever he was, was a threat. She heard tales of war—a terrible, devastating war—from up north, but nothing more than rumor. A sick redness filling the sky… A tower that resembled a person… A great dragon… These were just some of the things she heard before setting out. So far she experienced nothing that confirmed any of the stories. All she encountered to date were beasts like the one from last night before the apparition appeared.

  
Then again, the beast itself was not normally seen in this area.

  
_Could it be that it was running from something?_ She furrowed her brow and stepped away from the campfire. There was little more she could learn here beyond that the source of the apparition had been here—she could sense the faint traces of his aura. Whoever it was hid it rather well. She had only a vague impression of a location when he first appeared, but nothing more since he vanished into the night. She was lucky to have spotted a trail at all while backtracking.

  
By the looks of things, this was a person who did not want to be found.

  
Her shadow quivered next to her. Reaching down, she pat it before returning to full height again.

  
 _He might not be a problem,_ she thought to herself. _But I can’t just ignore this. I should at least make sure he’s not going to be a threat, and if not… I can let him go wherever it is he’s going without any trouble._

  
_But if not…_

  
Closing her eyes, she cast her mind out, searching for any sign of her quarry. She couldn’t sense anything though, except perhaps a small trickle of…something. Not quite the same as earlier. Something felt different. Something that left a bad taste in her mouth, but no matter how much she tried she couldn’t get anything more than uncertainty about whether what she sensed was even there at all.

  
 _At least it’s on the same path,_ she thought, reopening her eyes. As she prepared to begin her pursuit, she caught something out of the corner of her eye. Looking down, she spotted a small, red sphere lying on the ground, barely larger than an apple seed. Kneeling down she looked at it carefully. It almost seemed to quiver at her closeness and Rika backed off warily. The quivering stopped almost immediately.

  
_That’s different…_

  
Hefting her staff, Rika considered what to do about this odd discovery. That odd feeling she sensed…this seemed to be the source. It seemed to be a fragment of something, though of what she couldn’t say.

  
_I’ll bet that ghost guy could tell me,_ she thought. _It might be his too, though why he would be carrying something like this…_ She shook her head. _Maybe he really is a danger after all._

  
She wasn’t getting any answers like this. Raising a hand, she quietly mouthed an incantation, encapsulating the spheroid in a shield. Lifting it, she placed it in a pouch tied to her waist belt. Sealing it up, she checked it to make sure it was secure, her mouth set into one thin line. She didn’t like having this…thing…bumping against her hip. Felt like a small burn she couldn’t get rid of.

  
Beside her, her shadow flickered yet again, as though sharing her agitation. She ignored it. Looking ahead toward the horizon, she set off at a brisk pace before jumping into the air, taking flight.

  
###

  
“Henwy?” Suzie asked, her voice throaty and barely above a whisper. “Could you get me a glass of water?”

  
Henry paused in his story telling before nodding. “Sure thing, Suzie. I’ll be back.”

  
Getting up from his chair, Henry exited the room and headed toward the kitchen.

  
“So…” began Terriermon as Henry pulled a glass from the kitchen cupboard. “You’re really mixing a lot of real life into this story, aren’t you?”

  
Henry flipped on the faucet and placed the glass underneath.

  
“Rinchei is writing a short story for school. He said that sometimes you have to ‘write what you know’, and…” He chuckled softly. “…Takato and Rika take the place of knight and princess very well.”

  
“Especially after the Parasimon invaded,” Terriermon grinned. Henry’s smile fell a little and he frowned at the rabbit-dog digimon.

  
“Terriermon…”

  
“So is including the D-Reaper also a part of that whole ‘write what you know’ stuff? Talk about lack of originality!”

  
“Look, I’m just making this up as I go along. I’ve never told a story before without already having it in front of me.”

  
“I’m not complaining. Well, except for the fact that the story lacks me. No story is complete without my awesome personality.”

  
“Don’t fly too close to the sun,” Henry joked. Looking back at the glass, he quickly turned off the water, seeing that it was now overflowing. Pouring out some of the water so as to prevent any spilling when giving the glass to Suzie, he started back toward the bedroom, Terriermon following along, his long ears dragging on the floor behind him.

  
“So all that stuff about Takato dreaming about Rika… Any of that true as well?”

  
“No,” Henry laughed. “That I just made up. Seemed like a good way to make the story a little more interesting.”

  
###

  
“Here you go,” Henry said, passing the glass to Suzie, who took it gratefully and began gulping it down. After a couple seconds, she pulled the drink away and made a satisfied gasp for air.

  
“That was puwfect!” she said in her childish voice. “Okay! Time to go back to the stowy!”

  
“Right,” Henry nodded. “Back to the story. Anyway, so after Rika started flying after Takato…”

  
###

  
Takato felt a chill run through his back as he and Guilmon plodded along, and he pulled his cloak closer around his body. Behind him, Guilmon whickered, as though unsettled by something.

  
“It’s okay, boy,” he said, looking over his shoulder and giving his horse a comforting smile. “It’s just the cold. It’s no big deal.”

  
Guilmon tossed his head, not believing him. Takato’s smile slipped and he frowned. Something wasn’t right. Guilmon’s warhorse instincts were good. They had to be in order to survive the entirety of the war. His own instincts told him that something was off as well. Danger was afoot, there was no question about it. Though what the source he could not say. There was nothing but forest around him, dark and deep on all sides.

  
_Bandits?_

  
The thought felt wrong. That chill that ran down his spine… It almost felt like… _No. That can’t be… It was destroyed._

  
Takato gave a nervous chuckle _Yeah. I’m just being paranoid, that’s all. There’s no way that thing could be around. I saw it die myself. I guess I just haven’t gotten over it._

  
His smile felt forced though and his hand drifted to his belt, seeking an item that hung there for so very long during the Great War—the Red War. A small piece of metal that lit up when a particular enemy was nearby, now long gone—abandoned.

  
Shaking his hand as if to scold it, he shifted it over to the handle of his sword, loosening it in his scabbard. He cast his eyes about, searching for any sign of something out of the ordinary. He may not have his warning lamp anymore, but his senses still functioned well enough without it. His teacher beat it into his very nerves. If he were taken unawares, it would be through his own clumsiness.

  
I’m not hearing any birds, he finally noticed, and he nearly kicked himself for a dope for not picking up on that sooner. The forest was quiet…far too quiet for this time of day.  
“I don’t get it. There aren’t even any birds chirping. And I can see a bird right in front of…”

  
Takato stopped as his gaze slid over the ‘bird’ sitting on the tree in front of him, and then was forcibly jerked back to it. His mouth went dry at the sight of the bird, only it wasn’t actually a bird. It had the appearance of one, but only in the loosest sense that, at first glance, seemed more like a childish attempt at drawing an avian into existence. Upon a closer look, it became more of mockery with a simple, round head devoid of feathers and soulless black eyes staring outward, blank and seemingly unaware, but seeing. Blocky wings spread outward, a pair of golden eyes imprinted underneath.

  
_A Reaper Scout!_

  
Takato’s sword was out in a flash as he dropped Guilmon’s reins and he fell into a combat stance. His heart hammering in his chest, he looked around, desperately trying to see if there were any others, or worse pairing with it.

  
So focused was he on keeping an eye out for Reaper servants, he almost missed the predator—a giant, hulking black demon with wings—until Guilmon’s scream caught his attention.

  
Guilmon kicked up its feet as the creature—Takato instantly recognized it as a Devil Dragon—swept toward him. Swearing, the youth dropped to the ground, knowing that if he stood and tried to fight, the monster would skewer him on its claws.

  
Guilmon, unfortunately, wasn’t so lucky, and took the full brunt of the Devil Dragon’s impact. Still screaming and kicking out with its hooves, smashing one of them into the dragon’s left eye, the beast swatted the horse to the side, sending it smashing into a tree, shattering it. Guilmon hit the ground, and then was still.

  
_“Guilmon!!!”_ Takato shouted, surging back to his feet, sword in hand. Swinging quickly, the blade cut through the dragon’s scales and struck bone. Roaring in pain and anger, the dragon jerked its claw back, taking Takato’s sword along with it. The youth bit back another curse and jumped back. Bereft of his primary means of defending himself he dropped into a crouch, looking for some means of attacking or defending. There wasn’t much. The terrain hampered the dragon’s movement, but it was small enough for it to only matter in terms of long range attacks, and even then its large size enabled it to simply smash through barriers.

  
_How the heck did I not notice this thing?_ Takato wondered deliriously as he swept up a pointed branch. It was next to useless against the dragon’s hide, but it was better than nothing. He tossed it from hand to hand while the dragon circled him, hissing angrily, getting a feel for the balance of the stick. Maybe if he was able to throw it right he could blind the creature…

  
_“Amethyst Wind!”_ shouted a voice, powerful and clear, on the wind, and as though it were a command a storm of shining, violet crystal rained down upon the dragon. Their razor edges pierced the beast’s scales, causing it to roar angrily and turn its head up at the new source of pain.

  
That was a mistake, for the flurry of crystal smashed into its face, spearing its eyes and driving directly into its brain. With barely more than a croak, the dragon fell backward and collapsed, its weight causing the ground to shake violently, nearly upending Takato. He kept his footing however and he traced the eye of the violet storm to its source. His heart felt as though it ceased beating upon the sight of a fiery-haired girl floating gently on the wind, arms outstretched and surrounded by a blazing aura. She lit on the ground as lightly as a feather, the light vanishing from around her and she turned her gaze, eyes deep and mystical, toward him. When she spoke, time seemed to stop.

  
_“Takato, are you all right?”_


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don’t own Digimon.

  
A Story for Suzie

  
Chapter: 4

  
_“Takato… Are you all right?”_

  
Takato’s crimson eyes snapped open, finding himself staring up at the branch-filled sky of Shinjuku Park, more specifically at the concrete hut that, for him and one other, was about as close to a home away from home as he could get right now.

  
_What a weird dream,_ he thought, glancing down at the crimson-scaled reptile that snored softly against him, head lying upon his leg. Smiling, he patted Guilmon’s head and returned his gaze to the sky. The threads of his dream were escaping him, but strands of it remained. There was a bright light—he could remember that much—and a figure amidst it that reminded him of Sakuyamon. Even the voice of the speaker was eerily like the person who made up half of that particular digimon—Rika Nonaka. It was almost like the time when she rescued him and the other Tamers from the D-Reaper.

  
_Except she didn’t ask me if I was all right,_ he thought, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. _She asked… I think she asked if we were all okay._

  
Takato shook his head, kicking himself for a dope for not remembering properly.

  
_That’s a nice sunset…_

  
An alarm bell went off inside his head as he let that sink in. Sunset. One that was almost over no less! Stars were filling the sky, blinking almost in amusement at him.

  
“Awww…nuts!!!” Takato exclaimed, jumping up, startling Guilmon awake.

  
“Hah? Takatomon? What’s going on?”

  
“We’ve got to get home! We’re la…aaaugh!!!”

  
“Takato!”

  
Takato had no sooner gotten to his feet then did his leg collapse, numb and without feeling, sending him crashing to the concrete step. Blood that had been earlier blocked off by the digimon’s weight now rushed through veins with a vengeance, setting the limb afire.

  
“Ow…” the brown-haired boy groaned, picking himself up from the stairs, rubbing his cheek where he had been scraped and massaging feeling back into his leg.

  
“Are you okay?” Guilmon asked, golden eyes alight with worry.

  
“Yeah boy, I’ll be fine. Just…my luck having fun with me again. No big deal.”

  
“I would think that your luck means a great deal,” spoke up a voice behind them. Turning, the pair found a gold-furred, fox-like digimon standing atop the concrete bunker that, in ages past, served as Guilmon’s home and hideout, arms garbed in purple gloves folded over her chest, standing perfectly framed in the light of the rising moon. Blue eyes locked with the two partners before, with a barely perceptible motion, she jumped into the air and materialized next to them. She dropped down to one knee to inspect Takato’s injury.

  
“Hmmm… It doesn’t appear to be too bad…” she said, brushing a claw against the scrape. “Nothing that some cleaning won’t take care of.”

  
“Uh…yeah.” Takato forced a chuckle, rubbing the back of his head nervously at the vulpine’s closeness. “Um…I don’t mean to sound like you’re creeping me out, Renamon… I mean, you can be kinda scary sometimes, and I mean that in the nicest way…”

  
“I only meant to see if you were all right,” Renamon replied with a barely visible smile appearing on her muzzle, deciding to get to his point before it became lost amidst the chaos of his nervous chattering. “And I’ll take your statement about my ‘scariness’ as a compliment.”

  
Guilmon laughed, throwing his claws into the air gleefully. “You should! You’re the only one who doesn’t need to dress up for Halloween!”

  
Renamon and Takato both tilted their heads to one side in mirror confusion at this before glancing at each other. As if an unspoken question were passed between them, Takato shrugged his shoulders and laughed, this time with far less nerves behind it.

  
“All the girls thought he was cute last Halloween when he went as himself,” he explained. “Not very scary when you’re trying to get into the swing of things.”

  
“I even tried pointing a flashlight at myself like they do on TV,” Guilmon moped, his bat-like ears drooping a little.

  
“I…see,” said Renamon, trying to push the image of the large dinosaur carrying a plastic pumpkin and going from house to house out of her mind. She didn’t want to hurt the reptile’s feelings. “Discussions of luck and compliments aside, have either of you sensed anything…odd tonight?”

  
“Well…we accidently fell asleep so…” Takato shrugged helplessly and looked at Guilmon, who did likewise. “My digivice hasn’t picked up anything either.”

  
“Hmmm…” Renamon mused more to herself than to the two partners. “Neither has Rika’s…”

  
“Is something going on?” Takato asked.

  
“I can’t say for sure. Just…a feeling. It may be nothing.” Shaking her head, Renamon stood up. “I’m going to patrol for a bit.”

  
“Do you want us to come with you?” Takato likewise got to his feet, the fire in his leg having now subsided to tolerable levels.

  
Renamon turned, her tail cutting through the air with a powerful motion. “As I said, it might be nothing.”

  
“A lot of our ‘nothings’ end up as ‘something’ you know.”

  
Guilmon bobbed his head up and down in agreement. “Yeah. Takato once said that we attract trouble like a magnet.”

  
“Do as you like,” Renamon replied, smiling her small smile again. “As Rika would say, perhaps you’ll stumble into it.”

  
With that, the vulpine digimon vanished into thin air, leaving Takato and Guilmon to stare at the space she vacated, the former frowning slightly.

  
“You know, I swear she was making fun of us…”

  
“Wouldn’t that be Rika making fun of us?” Guilmon asked. “I mean, Renamon did say, “as Rika would say…””

  
“Guilmon…” Takato laughed as the pair set off down the park path together.

  
###

  
“I asked if you were all right,” the fiery-haired girl said, approaching the flabbergasted warrior cautiously, violet eyes narrowed. Blinking out of his stupor, an alarm went off in Takato’s mind as he remembered…

  
“Guilmon!” Quickly rushing in the direction where his horse had been thrown, he fell to his knees beside him, hands shaking, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. Lying on the ground, chest heaving with blood slowly flowing from his mouth, was the broken body of Guilmon. He whinnied softly upon seeing his master, and Takato placed a hand upon his side.

  
“Oh Guilmon… I’m so sorry boy…”

  
Approaching behind him, Rika took in a sharp breath upon seeing the condition the warrior’s horse was in. She was surprised that he was still alive at all. Either it was sheer luck or a testament to the animal’s will to remain with his master to the bitter end.

  
_A bad fate brought the dragon here,_ she thought, turning to look at the dragon’s corpse. _But…maybe I can change that…_

  
Since her youth, she believed that destiny was something she chose. She detested anything that suggested otherwise. Her mother…

  
_No. I don’t want to think about that right now…_

  
Approaching the dragon corpse she knelt down and dabbed the pointed tip of her staff into the pool of blood, twin to the one forming around the horse. Raising the staff she placed the tip against the dragon’s scales and began to trace a circle upon it. Calligraphy… A skill she loathed once before due to her mother forcing her to learn it so as to be a ‘proper lady’ now had a use. Words she now inscribed within the circle… The Logos. Often overlooked, the written word held great power within the world, and most especially in magic. She herself learned the hard way how much power. Behind her, her shadow quivered again, twisting slightly so as to align itself with the grieving warrior as he comforted his friend. Adding the finishing touches, Rika stepped back and withdrew a brush from her belt. For this, she needed something a little smaller. Dabbing it in the blood, she turned and approached the warrior and his fallen steed, kneeling next to them. She touched the tip of her brush to Guilmon’s side, but he didn’t make so much as a sound. It was as if he didn’t feel her as she began to draw a circle upon him.

  
_Spine must be broken,_ she thought grimly.

  
“W-What are you doing?” she heard the warrior ask.

  
“Fixing a mess,” she replied tersely. “Don’t distract me.”

  
The warrior blinked, but after a moment he got to his feet. “My…My sword. I…I need to put him out of his misery…”

  
“That won’t be necessary,” Rika said, starting to add words. Although she wasn’t looking at him, she could feel the arched eyebrow on his face as he looked at her.

  
“He’s dying! In pain! I’ve got to…!”

  
“How much do you want him to live?” she asked, calm as ever.

  
“I…I don’t…”

  
“How much?” she repeated, putting the finishing touches on the Logos Circle. Squaring himself, Takato swallowed and hooked a hand into his empty scabbard.

  
“More than anything.”

  
“Then give me your hand, and show me your resolve.”

  
Takato’s lips parted, a thousand questions on his mind, but as he looked back and forth between the girl who knew his name and his dying companion, he returned to their side, offering his hand.

  
“Okay…” he began carefully. “What are you going to do?”

  
“Making a trade to save your horse’s life,” Rika said, clasping his hand and placing her free one onto the Logos Circle. “Hopefully it’ll be a good one.”

  
Takato was just about to ask what she meant by that when light flared up beneath the hand covering the Logos Circle and the one on the dragon. The light intensified until it burst outward, encompassing them all. Takato gasped as he felt a sudden surge of energy flow through him, nearly causing him to collapse. He caught himself though, and digging his hand into the dirt, he grated his teeth, willing himself to stay upright. He would not fall. He refused to fall. Not if it meant saving his friend like the girl said.

  
Sweat crawled down his face and his breathing became labored. His body became heavier and heavier, but he had to pull through and last as long as he had to until the duty was done. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the light went out and, as if it were a signal, he sagged forth, all the strength gone from him. He barely noticed when he hit Guilmon’s body as the horse lifted its head, eyes gleaming with a golden light within.

  
###

  
Takato and Guilmon were close to exiting Shinjuku park when they began to notice something odd.

  
Fog wasn’t a rare sight in the city, but in recent times there was a clear division between what constituted ‘normal’ for the meteorological phenomenon and everything else. On a night or day with zero precipitation fog could only mean that a dimensional breach was eminent.

  
It happened with enough regularity that ‘bio-emergence’ forecasts were made to the public, for all the good that they did. Although decidedly unnatural, they shared considerable amount in common with earthquakes, one of which being damage and amount of time before a breach was made.

  
The only thing that could be said with certainty about their differences was that earthquakes typically did not manifest in the form of giant supernatural monsters composed of digital information.

  
“Guilmon?” Takato asked, noting the fog that seemed to rise up around them. His hand went to his side and retrieved an arch-shaped device—a digivice—and he checked its screen. A holographic circle projected itself above the device, but no information presented itself beyond the words “no data”.

  
“I don’t smell digimon,” Guilmon said, testing the air. “But…there’s definitely something here. Maybe this is what Renamon was talking about?”

  
“Looks like she was right,” Takato groaned, pulling out a card from his pants pocket. “We really did stumble into it, didn’t we?”

  
“She’s always been right before,” Guilmon observed, crouching down. “Why not now?”

  
Takato didn’t reply as he peered around them, trying to find a sign of whatever it was that was coming through. The fog thickened and he felt his skin start to tingle as the hairs on his arms began to stand up. He sensed something behind him, but upon turning he saw nothing there.

  
_What’s going on here?_

  
A low growl filled the air, and both Guilmon and Takato followed its source to find a pair of burning, golden eyes framed by black shadow towering above them. Shadow-like wings spread outward, blowing the mists away. Solid, twisting, serpentine night reared back before lunging at them with an explosive roar, fire erupting from the depths of its mouth.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don’t own Digimon.

  
A Story for Suzie

  
Chapter: 5

  
Henry paused in his story as he heard his digivice beep behind him.

  
“Oh man, just when it was getting to a good part,” grumbled Terriermon as the boy got up to look at it. “All right,” the rabbit-dog continued, stretching his arms and then taking on a defiant pose. “What digimon is looking to get its butt kicked by Terriermon?”

  
Lifting his digivice, Henry tilted his head to one side, slightly puzzled.

  
“None, I…guess.” Henry frowned. _Why did it activate?_

  
No digimon, huh?” Folding his arms over his curved belly, Terriermon smirked triumphantly. “Guess they decided to turn tail and run. Smart mon.”

  
Not as confident in Terriermon’s boast, Henry looked over to his computer. It was still running his program, but so far nothing was out of the ordinary.

  
_Were you doing something?_ he thought, returning his attention to his digivice. It didn’t answer of course. As far as he knew it wasn’t sentient.

  
_Maybe there wasn’t anything at all,_ he mused, rubbing the side of his head, unable to think of anything his digivice might have done. Still…curious he pressed the button below its screen, causing a holographic circle to appear above it. The words _No Data_ stood prominently as the circle swiveled this way and that wildly. Flicking through screens came up with the same message. Satisfied, Henry closed out of the holo-circle and replaced the digivice on his desk. Smiling at Suzie, he set himself down.

  
“Sorry about that. Where were we?”

  
###

  
Takato Matsuki and Guilmon barely had enough time to register the giant gout of flame surging toward him before abruptly being hauled into the air by a familiar golden form. Hitting the ground with a grunt, Takato looked to spot a familiar vulpine figure as she flipped down in front of them.

  
“Renamon!”

  
“It looks as though I’ve upset your attacker,” she noted as a hateful roar filled the air. Liquid shadow flapped through the fog like great wings, leaving burning embers cascading through the air.

  
“What is it?” Guilmon asked, testing the air. “It doesn’t smell like a digimon at all.”

  
“Let’s see…” Pulling out his digivice, Takato activated its scanning function. The words _No Data_ flashed across the holographic circle that materialized above it and he grimaced.

“This is familiar…and in a bad way.” The holographic circle receded and Takato looked back at their opponent as it swung its head—or at least what Takato thought was its head—back and forth, hissing angrily, searching for them. “Anyone got any ideas?”

  
“I don’t believe that it’s restricted to the digital field,” Renamon said, her tail swishing in agitation and thought. “We can’t allow it to leave the area.”

  
Takato and Guilmon glanced at each other and the boy tightened his grip on his digivice.

  
“Time to pull out the big guns,” Takato said and Guilmon nodded in agreement. Renamon did likewise. Without any information on the creature’s powers or abilities, and backup likely to take time in coming, their best and quickest shot to contain the situation was overwhelming force. This was not the time to be cautious and find out that they were dealing with a Mega all along.

  
“Biomerge activate!” Takato shouted, raising his digivice to the sky. The shadow-beast turned toward them and light burst forth, enveloping both the human and Guilmon, melding them together. Guilmon’s body grew, becoming more humanoid and growing white plated armor resembling a knight. A red cape materialized behind him, and a lance and shield formed around his arms.

  
“Guilmon! Biomerge tooo… Gallantmon!”

  
The light exploded outward, blowing away the last of the fog and revealing the digital knight in all his glory. Lifting his golden eyes, Gallantmon focused on the twisting serpent. He frowned slightly. It seemed that it wasn’t the fog that caused it to look the way it did. It indeed appeared to be made of little more than shadow, its depth shifting first this way and then that as though it weren’t completely there.

  
_“Are we dealing with a ghost?”_ Takato heard Guilmon ask from the blackness surrounding the burning orange core that surrounded Takato’s form from within Gallantmon’s body.

  
_“I don’t know boy, but we’re going to find out one way or another.”_ He lifted his arms and outside Gallantmon did likewise, bringing his shield and lance to bear on the creature.

  
_“All right,”_ Gallantmon announced, his voice a blend of the two partners. _“Stop right there! No one else has to get hurt…”_

  
The creature reared back and spat a shower of fire at the knight before he even finished. Cursing under his breath, Gallantmon leapt forward, positioning his shield between the attack and Renamon a split second before she vanished from view. The flame struck the shield and splattered uselessly on the ground below. The heat was tremendous and Gallantmon winced, feeling his shield start to heat up.

  
_That’s not a good sign,_ Takato thought. With how durable his shield was, to feel heat this soon was a game changer. _“Looks like it was a good idea to biomerge first! This is like Zhuqiaomon all over again! We’ve got to put him out now!”_

  
Charging forward, Gallantmon surged through the fire, electricity starting to dance around the tip of his lance. Breaking past the flames, he lunged forth, unleashing a powerful blast of lightning from his weapon.

  
_“Lightning Joust!”_

  
The attack struck the creature and it writhed under the impact. From within his sphere, Takato gave a whoop of excitement that was shared by Guilmon. _We can affect it! We can do this!_

  
His and Guilmon’s elation was cut brutally short. The shadows began to solidify and the creature’s form became more concrete. Where before there had been only a vague, fog-like darkness there were now black, shining scales. Wings spread outward, casting off the coiling, hissing lightning from Gallantmon’s attack, and obsidian fangs glistened in the dusk light. Baleful red eyes turned toward Gallantmon, glaring hatefully at the bane of dragons.

  
_“Um… What just happened?”_ Takato asked dumbly as the beast let out a low, guttural growl before opening its mouth again. Flames licked at the back of its throat as it reared back once again and shot another blast of fire at the knight. Gallantmon brought his shield up to defend himself, blocking the blazing inferno, only for the pair that made up his form to cry out in surprise as the beast slammed into them, using the fire-attack as a distraction for a more physical confrontation. Claws leapt out, scraping along Gallantmon’s armor, scouring its surface and causing sparks to dance around them.

  
_“Can’t get our weapons up…”_ Guilmon grunted from the void surrounding Takato. _“Takato… We’re in a bit of a pickle…”_

  
_“I’ve got an idea!”_ Not taking a second to explain himself, he drew his arms close to his waist. Outside in the real world, the lance and shield vanished, leaving only his armored hands. The effect was immediate. The dragon fell forward, no longer supported by the shield in front of it. Gallantmon quickly took hold of it, attempting to wrestle it down. The idea was sound. For all the dragon’s strength, its limbs lacked the reach and dexterity to be able to combat the maneuver. Its jaws on the other hand, or more accurately its neck, lacked no such limitation, and quickly dove forward, clamping around Gallantmon’s wrist and biting hard. Fangs found their way to the joints and began to dig in, its neck twisting powerfully.

  
_What is with this thing?!_ Takato grunted, feeling the pressure on the plate around his arm starting to buckle under the pressure. _Our armor is Chrome Digizoid! He shouldn’t be this tough!_

  
Armor shrieked and Takato bit down to stop from screaming. The fangs punched through the metal and bit down around his hand, puncturing digital flesh and bone. Guilmon quickly took hold of the pilot seat and raising a foot, stomped down on one of the dragon’s clawed feet, returning the favor. Roaring, the dragon released its grip, taking small shreds of metal along with it, and the two combatants fell back.

  
_“Takato! Are you all right?!”_ Guilmon asked frantically as he nursed their injured hand.

  
_“Could… Could be better…”_ Takato grated, trying to remember the last time he had been seriously injured in Guilmon’s Mega form. Standing up straight, he raised his uninjured hand to the sky and his lance reappeared around it. _“All right… Let’s…”_

  
Gallantmon stumbled a little as Takato’s vision swam unexpectedly.

  
“What…?” he began, only to spot the dragon rushing toward him again, fangs dripping with some kind of black liquid. Raising his lance, he caught the dragon’s mouth just before it could get a hold of him. Insidious blackness splashed along the metal surface, causing it to darken and corrode.

  
_Venom?_ a small, suddenly distant part of him wondered, his vision swimming again. _Aw nuts…_

  
_“Diamond Storm!”_ came the shout of Renamon as she somersaulted above them, unleashing a flurry of glowing, razor-sharp shards that struck the dragon’s scales to no effect. Not deterred, Renamon dropped down, feet and hands glowing with blue fire and she struck the dragon in the much more vulnerable eye. This time the dragon roared with pain and retreated back, releasing Gallantmon’s lance. Gallantmon staggered, trying to right himself before dropping down to one knee.

  
“Are you all right?” Renamon asked, landing next to him.

  
_“We will be once the world stops spinning,”_ Gallantmon replied, shaking his head in an attempt to clear it. His mind felt foggy. Whatever that dragon did to him, it was taking its toll rapidly. Forcing himself back onto his feet he raised his lance and took aim. _“It’s time to end this! Lightning Joust!”_

  
Throwing all his strength into the attack, Gallantmon shot a powerful blast of electricity at the dragon, who took it full force just as it blasted a raging torrent of fire in return. A powerful explosion rocked the park, forcing Renamon to teleport away to avoid getting caught up in it as trees were blown into shards and slivers. As the fire and thunder began to settle, Renamon rematerialized, casting her azure eyes about, searching for any sign of the Tamer and his partner…and any further danger from the dragon.

  
“Takato! Guilmon!” She narrowed her eyes and extended her senses. She could detect Guilmon, though it was faint. Of the dragon, she detected nothing, though that didn’t change anything.

  
_I could barely detect it to begin with, even after it…realized_. Her tail swished through the air in agitation but she forced herself to calmness. There was no sound. Renamon’s ears pricked for even the slightest hint of it but as yet she heard nothing to indicate that something that size still moved or even lived. There was only the settling of debris, the crackling of fire, and trees as their branches recovered from the shockwaves of battle.

  
Her eyes glowed slightly as she peered through the smoke. Finally she spotted three unmoving figures, two of whom were lying on the ground.

  
_Three…?_  
Reacting quickly, Renamon teleported directly over the unconscious forms of Takato and Guilmon. Her eyes widened in surprise as the third figure, kneeling over them with a glowing, violet-gloved hand placed on Takato’s back, turned her violet eyes up to meet Renamon’s blue ones.

  
_“Rika?!_ ” Renamon exclaimed.

  
The jingle of the rings on the girl’s vajra staff was all the warning she had before ‘Rika’ stabbed at her with its pointed spike. Light exploded and Renamon found herself flying backward, crashing into the ground and rolling up against a fallen tree. Quickly getting up, Renamon shook her head. The attack hurt, but not enough for a spur-of-the-moment act to do more than startle her.

  
_It’s not her,_ she decided. Apart for the rather obvious difference in Rika carrying the staff of their biomerged form of Sakuyamon and casting energy blasts, there was just no way for her to be here. Not when Renamon left her at home to investigate on her own.

  
“I don’t mean any harm,” Renamon said, displaying her claws in an open, nonthreatening gesture. “I merely wish to see to my friends.”

  
“I don’t recognize you as being one of my…ally’s friends,” the girl said, standing up. Renamon tilted her head to one side.

  
_Interesting…_ She even sounds like Rika. That however was not the most pressing issue at hand. The girl who looked like her partner referred to Takato as her ‘ally’, though how that was she did not know. “Perhaps…there is a great deal you do not know about him. If we could talk…”

  
Hefting her staff, an azure aura appeared around the girl.

  
“No,” the girl said, firing a bolt of energy in Renamon’s direction. The vulpine digimon, undeterred, simply vanished from view and reappeared directly behind her. Unwilling to harm someone who looked so much like her partner she simply grabbed hold of Takato and Guilmon, preparing to teleport them away.

  
It was just then that the shadows leapt up and grabbed hold of her.

  
“Wha…?” Renamon began in shock, only for her strength to immediately start to fade as an intense cold seeped into her limbs where the shadows clutched. Eyes flashing, ‘Rika’ spun around and pointed a hand at her, an intricate ring of light and symbols materializing upon her palm.

  
“I knew you were false…” she began as energy built up around her palm.

  
Just then, electricity sparked from Takato’s digivice and coiled around ‘Rika’. Her aura winked out of existence, and she became as a shadow, like the dragon from earlier, before vanishing altogether. Renamon blinked as warmth and strength returned to her. Looking down at her claws she glanced down at the unconscious pair below. Although it was difficult to tell with Guilmon due to the light and red shade of his scales, Takato on the other hand looked sickly and pale. Touching his forehead with her palm, she drew in a sharp breath, finding him cold and sweating profusely. His body—and Guilmon’s she noted—were starting to shiver. She remembered them stumbling following being bitten by the dragon.

  
_I’ve got to get them to the hospital quickly!_

  
Taking hold of them once more, the trio vanished from view, leaving behind a thin humanoid shadow assembling itself behind them.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don’t own Digimon.

  
A Story for Suzie

  
Chapter: 6

  
In an office in front of a computer, a balding man with a yellow jacket hung over the back of his chair typed furiously, his gaze unflinching in front of the glare of the screen, while behind him a blonde-haired man wearing sunglasses casually flicked a lighter open and closed. In spite of outward appearances, the two were in stark contrast to each other. The balding man—Gorou ‘Shibumi’ Mizuno’—a programming guru in part responsible for the creation of the artificial intelligence programs known as digimon, was in his element and loving every minute of it. The blonde man—Mitsuo Yamaki—a government agent part of a secret Japanese intelligence agency known as Hypnos, largely responsible for the management of digimon and protecting the general public from their occasional rampage—was considerably more tense; the flicking of his lighter a leftover from an old smoking habit that he repeatedly quit and took up again. In spite of his calm expression, he was a wire of tension. His job—his duty to protect the safety and wellbeing of the entire world—afforded him few luxuries when it came to relaxing.

  
The two lived in the same world and now shared a similar vision, but they plainly had different experiences with the alternate one that dwelled on their minds.

  
“This is what one of my friends sent me. He’s been analyzing the detectable structure of the digital world and overlaying it with the Earth. He believes that part of what makes the digital world what it is has to do with the Van Allen Radiation belts that surround us.”

  
“Does he think that the Van Allen belt is a part of the digital world?” Yamaki asked, reading over a line on Shibumi’s screen.

  
“Unfortunately because the data is still new he can’t say with any certainty. He believes that there is a correlation, as the structure of the digital world is similar to the layers of Van Allen belt. In fact, if one were generous, you could almost view it as the upper-most atmosphere of the digital world.”

  
“So what are you saying? That the digital world has always been around?”

  
“It may be so,” Shibumi nodded. “All the stories from the past that we’ve had… The digital world could very well be an evolution of an earlier world due to the interaction of human data with the Earth’s electromagnetic field. The Van Allen belt could have been a source of energy for any primitive life forms. There is consistent exposure of radiation from space and some minute traces of antiprotons as well…” Shibumi ran a hand over the hairless portion of his head and took a deep breath that spoke of the amazement he felt over this hypothesis. “It’s a _fascinating_ idea, and it makes me wonder how the digital world could evolve in the future. We’re bombarding it with more and more data, and the digimon themselves are changing because of it.”

  
Yamaki grimaced, not certain if he liked what that entailed. While he now had a great deal of respect for digimon, particularly in regards to the relationship that the Tamers had with their partners, he wasn’t certain that the human world was ready for that kind of existence. Maybe one day, but now? And even if they were, could the Tamers—any Tamer or group of them—handle it?

  
_The D-Reaper nearly destroyed both worlds and the Sovereign nearly brought Hypnos to its knees. We’re only scratching the surface so far. There are too many unknowns right now, and if the digital world changes before we’ve caught up…_

  
Yamaki’s train of thought was broken by the ringing of his cell phone. Pulling it out of his coat pocket he flipped it open.

  
“Yamaki,” he said curtly, his brow frowning slightly. Shibumi turned, noticing the expression.

  
“Call the other Tamers and arrange a meeting. I want hourly reports on Takato’s condition as they come in.”

  
“Is everything all right?” Shibumi asked, getting out of his chair, alarmed.

  
“Renamon delivered Takato and Guilmon to the hospital,” Yamaki replied grimly, already beginning to dial another number. “They were injured in battle with a digimon.”

  
###

  
The ringing of the phone broke Henry out of his story-telling almost as soon as he resumed it. It seemed that everyone looked in its direction with a look of annoyance.

  
“I’ll…be right back,” Henry sighed, getting up from his chair. Suzie, pouting, pulled the sheets up to her chin and nodded in resignation.

  
“Whoever it is had better be dying!” Terriermon huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

  
“Terriermon…” Henry scolded, opening up the door.

  
“What? I’m just saying that this had better be an emergency. I’m serious. You’re getting way too many interruptions.”

  
Shaking his head, Henry headed out into the kitchen and lifted the phone off the hook, not for the first time wishing that his father would spring for cell phones like Rika’s family did.

  
_It would make things easier_ , he grumbled. “Hello?”

  
After a moment his eyes widened in shock.

  
###  
“I am _so sorry!”_ Terriermon exclaimed as Henry tugged on his shoes and grabbed his jacket from off a hook on the wall. “I wasn’t serious when I said that!”

  
“No one’s blaming you Terriermon!” Henry replied somewhat frantically, tugging on his jacket now. At least Jaarin is here to keep an eye on Suzie, he thought, turning toward her as she looked at him from the end of the hallway with an expression that was both worried and exhausted. She had been napping earlier and his sudden rush to get to the hospital where his friend was at had awoken her up rather abruptly.

  
“All right, we’re out of here! Sorry, Jaarin, and tell Mom and Dad what happened.”

  
Jaarin nodded as Terriermon hopped onto his partner’s shoulder and the two rushed out the apartment. Looking down the hall in the direction of Henry’s room, she pressed her lips into a thin line, worrying about her two siblings.

  
###  
“It’s going to take us _forever_ to get there!” Terriermon said as they rushed out of the lobby and into the streets. “Henry! Digivolve me so we can… _whoa!”_

  
Henry drew up short as a massive form suddenly came to a landing in front of them, startling the pair. His grey eyes looking up, he saw a familiar, red-haired girl sitting astride

a large, golden-furred fox with nine tails and a red-striped ribbon with bells wrapped around its neck—Renamon’s digivolved form of Kyubimon.

  
“Rika!” Henry exclaimed in surprise.

  
“The one and only,” the girl returned. “Kyubimon filled me in on what happened. Get on. I gave her a speed upgrade. We’ll be there in a flash.”

  
Taking the girl’s hand, Henry was swung up onto Kyubimon’s back and took hold of her by the waist. “Sorry,” he blushed. Ignoring his discomfort, Rika adjusted her seating and tightened her grip on her partner’s ribbons.

  
_“Let’s go!”_

  
###

  
Jaarin poked her head into Henry’s room to find Suzie sleeping in her brother’s bed, face still slightly flushed from her light fever. Walking over to her, she nodded to Lopmon.

  
“How’s she doing?”

  
“Tiwed,” Suzie responded before Lopmon could even speak up. “Henwy was telling me a stowy.” She paused and swallowed. “My thwoat huwts. Did Henwy say if that Angwy Kid,” Jaarin smiled a little at her sister’s nickname of Henry’s friend, Takato, “is okay?”

  
“I’m sure he’ll call when he knows something,” Jaarin replied. “Would you like anything to drink? Water? Juice?”

  
Suzie shook her head and pulled the blankets ever closer.

  
“Okay,” Jaarin said softly. “Let me know if you need anything. I’ll be in the living room, okay?”

  
“Okay…” Suzie mumbled, already starting to drift off to sleep.

  
###

  
Takato awoke to the crackling of fire. He felt a warm presence to his side—his horse, Guilmon—head lying next to his, breathing softly. The knight rolled over onto his back and the animal snorted slightly, shifting in return. Takato blinked blearily, noting the shining specks that stood out prominently in the light of the fire, resembling scales…

  
“Wha…!” Takato bolted upright, startling the horse into wakefulness, revealing a pair of shining golden eyes, which did little more than serve to aggravate Takato’s own surprise. His hand was already questing about for his sword, half-believing that Guilmon had been replaced by a demonic entity in his exhausted mind.

  
“I go through all trouble of bringing him back to full health only for you to think about cutting him down?” chided a voice from the other side of the fire, bringing Takato to a halt as his hand grasped the hilt of his weapon. “Maybe you’re not what I thought you were…”

  
Takato turned toward the voice to find a red-haired girl staring at him with purple, thoughtful eyes. The girl from his dream. Memories flooded his mind… The battle with the dragon, the girl arriving, and Guilmon getting hurt…

  
“What…? I don’t…” He looked back and forth between the horse and the girl, wheels turning inside his head as he organized his disjointed thoughts and relaxed. “You…You were there…earlier. You did something, didn’t you?”

  
“Can’t get anything past you, can I?” the girl snorted, poking at the fire with a stick. “Any other insights you’d like to tell me?”

  
Takato frowned at the girl and turned his attention to Guilmon, who was currently pressing his nose against his knee reassuringly. A smile crossed his features as he searched the horse over for injuries and finding none. The smile evaporated upon settling upon his face, finding the golden eyes and shining scales surrounding them. A pair of horns poked through the dark-red mane. “What did you do?”

  
“I thought it was obvious.” she replied. “I healed him.”

  
Takato placed a hand on the horse’s face and Guilmon nuzzled him in return.

  
“You did more than that…”

  
“To heal him I had to make a trade. Some of it required your energy, but also some…mass. There was a convenient amount nearby so I used that. Not sure how it’ll affect your horse since they’re not the same kind of animal but…” the girl shrugged. “Better than being dead.” She looked off to the side. “He has a bit of dragon in him now. Time will tell what will happen to him from here on out.”

  
Her eyes flickered over to him as he got up and made his way over to her. Casually poking at the fire with the stick again, she watched him warily as he stopped in front of her and then, much to her surprise, dropped down to one knee and bent his head.

  
“Thank you,” he said. “From the bottom of my soul, thank you. I don’t know if I can repay you, but if I can, you only have to name it and I’ll do what I can.”

  
The girl eyed him carefully before returning her attention to the fire. Her shadow twitched and then shrank back a little.

  
“You shouldn’t make oaths like that,” she said. “What if I told you to repay me by killing someone?”

  
She saw Takato freeze up and she chuckled lightly.

  
“Relax. I won’t ask you to do that. Just something for you to think about. You’re a knight, aren’t you? From the Order of Hypnos? You’re from up north. I learned about your kind. I hear you take that sort of thing seriously.”

  
“I…” Takato clutched his hands into fists before nodding. “Yeah. Honor is kind of important to us up there.”

  
“You’re a long way from home, aren’t you?”

  
Takato didn’t answer except with a nod. Getting off his knees he shifted into a more comfortable sitting position. “Um…what’s your name, if you don’t mind me asking? I don’t mean to be nosy but…I’d like to know the name of the person who saved my and Guilmon’s lives today?”

  
_“That’s_ what you call your horse?” The girl snorted in disbelief, remembering a childhood story. “Well… It sort of fits _now_ but he wasn’t dragon-like until I got a hold of him.”

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He didn’t seem fazed by her mocking tone. “You may call me Rika. I’m from a small country—the one you’re on the borders of now—called _Makino."_

  
“I’ve…never heard of that place before.” Takato scratched the back of his head in embarrassment while she raised an eyebrow at him. “Sorry. I grew up in a pretty small village. We didn’t have a whole lot going on there and not a lot of people passed through. I didn’t even know that I was _descended_ from knights until the war…”

  
Takato’s mouth halted on the last word. A shadow fell over his face and he looked away. Rika, noticing this, chose not to comment on it.

  
_Best not to touch on it too soon,_ she thought, though the topic of war, she had to admit, certainly caught her curiosity. “So…” She began, picking up the threads of conversation. Where to go from here? This knight was surprisingly trusting and open, eager to talk except about a war. She needed information. “If I could ask…”

  
“How’d you know my name?” Takato asked suddenly, a memory sparking. Rika raised an eyebrow in confusion, and Takato cleared his throat before clarifying. “Back when you showed up, you asked me if I was okay. You said my name. How did you know it?”

  
“You must have been hearing things,” Rika shrugged, not knowing what he was talking about. “I have no idea who you are.” An idea came to her. “I would like to know what that trick was last night.”

  
“Uh…huh?” Now it was Takato’s turn to tilt his head to one side in bafflement. “Trick? Last night? I don’t… I didn’t…”

  
“Look, I’m a shaman. There’s no sense beating around the bush. I know you did something. That’s why I was even there at all to rescue you.” She narrowed her eyes at him. _“What a_ re you? You’re different. I can feel it.”

  
Takato’s hands drew up into fists and he looked away, unable to meet her gaze. “This has to be the craziest thing that’s ever happened. It was _just_ a dream. Or I thought it was…”

  
“Dreams often mean a _great_ deal.”

  
“I wish they didn’t,” Takato said more harshly than he intended. Unclenching his hands he lay them at his lap, silently berating himself for being tempermental.

  
Rika’s expression softened a little. “I’m…sorry if I’m touching on sensitive ground, but people don’t usually show up out of thin air, floating and glowing like some kind of angel. There have been some strange things happening around these lands, and I’d like to get to the bottom of them.” She frowned and looked at him more fully. “You said that you owed me. How about you start by telling me what happened last night. Why did I see you? And why are you here?”

  
“I just wanted to travel… See the world,” Takato shrugged, his voice quiet. “As for what happened last night, all I know is that I just had a dream of you fighting a burning lion or whatever.” He scratched the side of his head and looked at her apologetically. “Sorry I can’t be of much more help than that. My friends always told me that I’m a little bit odd. I have visions sometimes. They sometimes get me into trouble.” He grimaced. “Maybe I should get out of here… Find someplace else to go. I actually end up getting into trouble a _lot.”_

  
That got Rika’s attention. Leaning forward she said, “How about I help you learn what your visions are all about?”

  
Takato’s crimson eyes met her violet ones. She saw him wavering but knew his duty as a knight—his duty to safeguard others—would still persuade him to go elsewhere unless otherwise detained. She didn’t want to use up his ‘payment’ to her just yet.

  
“There are strange things happening in this land,” she continued. “I’ve been investigating them, but I haven’t come up with anything yet. You might be the key to unraveling all of the mysteries.”

  
It took only a second of looking into his eyes to for her to know that she had him.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don’t own Digimon.

  
A Story for Suzie

  
Chapter: 7

  
In the light of the new Shinjuku day, a dark shadow flitted across the sky before fading from view, only to rematerialize atop a tree branch. The sensor towers of Hypnos, a short distance off registered it as little more than a blip on its detection grid. The shadow, almost bird-like in appearance, tilted its head to one side as it surveyed its surroundings—a building with a brick wall and a gate surrounding it with a large group of children passing into it. As it craned its head skyward, it saw a golden-furred digimon appear from out of thin air, carrying a red-haired girl wearing a dark-grey uniform. The pair dropped down to the ground, and upon landing the girl hopped out of the arms of the yellow fox and brushed herself off.

  
“Thanks again for the lift, Renamon,” Rika said, adjusting her bag.

  
“Of course,” the vulpine replied, inclining her head slightly and giving the girl a barely-visible smile. “Do you still intend to visit the hospital after school?”

  
“If I haven’t heard anything from Henry or Yamaki, yeah,” Rika nodded. She cast her gaze over at the gates of her school the Kagurazaka Girls Academy, watching the students file in, exchanging greetings and laughter. “Really wish that I didn’t have to be here now,” she voiced with a bit of a grumble. Renamon placed a comforting paw on the girl’s shoulder.

  
“I’m sure Takato will be all right. The doctor’s said that the venom in his system had been diluted. But in the event that we don’t hear anything, I believe it is appropriate to share the quote, “no news is good news”.”

  
“You’ve been hanging around with Terriermon a little too much,” Rika muttered with a touch of grim sarcasm, raising a sardonic eyebrow at her partner. “Anyway, I’m not worried about Gogglehead. He can take care of himself.” She adjusted her grip on her bag, betraying the slight worry she felt in spite of her confident words. “All right. I’ll see you later.”

  
With that, Rika spun on her heels and went to join her classmates. Renamon watched her go for a moment before her ears twitched, as though in agitation. Her claws pulling into tight fists, her azure gaze flashed upward and she entered a battle stance. She scanned the tree line for a moment before relaxing.

  
_Odd… There was that feeling again…almost the same as from last night. Could Rika’s ‘twin’ be nearby? Or some other creature like the dragon?_

  
Dropping her stance, the vulpine digimon leapt into the air in the direction of the presence that she sensed. Landing upon a tree limb she frowned. The presence…disappeared. Gone, without so much as a trace for her to follow. For all she knew it could have been her imagination.

  
Renamon however didn’t believe that to be the case.

  
_Whatever it is, it’s gone now. The other Rika disappeared, and the dragon seemed to have some difficulty realizing. Perhaps it’s the same here._

  
She didn’t like what this entailed. The digital world often intruded upon the real world. In spite of Hypnos’ best efforts there was no longer any way to realistically keep the two dimensions separate. Adding another unknown into the mix was just asking for more trouble.

  
With nothing left to learn here, Renamon stood up on the branch and once more leapt off into the air. Although she hated the idea of leaving Rika alone, she felt that perhaps a visit to Hypnos was in order.

  
Several seconds passed, and the bird-like shadow reappeared, turning its head in the direction of Rika’s school.

  
###

  
“I’m pretty sure we can rule out ghost dinosaurs,” Kazu said from his spot in the concrete hut that served as their meeting place. “Even if the story Renamon gave us makes it sound like there is one running around.”

  
Kazu Shiota, Kenta Kitagawa, Henry Wong, and Jeri Katou were all at the playground a short run away from their school, their respective digimon, Guardromon, MarineAngemon and Terriermon standing—or in Terriermon and MarineAngemon’s cases, hanging and floating respectively—nearby.

  
“Wow,” Terriermon said with a touch of sarcasm. “So you do have a brain in that thick skull of yours. Never thought I’d see the day.”

  
Kazu scowled at the rabbit-dog digimon. “I bet if Rika were here she’d say that’s because she thought she’d load your data before that day ever came.”

  
“How would you know?” Terriermon shot back, folding his arms across his chest. “Rika would never admit that you have a brain.”

  
Henry could only shake his head while Kazu fought to come up with a retort but presently failed to do so. The pair had been sniping each other lately, though why he didn’t know. “Terriermon…” he scolded, holding up a placating hand. “Look. We’re going to need a plan of action now that everyone’s been caught up.” He looked over at Kenta and Jeri meaningfully. Jeri had been informed by Rika of Takato’s situation and insisted on being here whereas Kenta had been out of town that night visiting his grandmother. “Kenta,” he continued, “do you think MarineAngemon can help with Takato?”

  
The short, bespectacled boy looked over at his partner, a pink fairy digimon with wide green eyes, a pair of wings for arms, a set of larger wings behind him, and a large red heart on his chest.

  
“I don’t know… What do you think buddy?”

  
“Puh!” The fairy digimon replied simply.

  
“He says it’s worth a shot,” the boy answered. “The thing is though, he’s never tried healing a person before so he’s not sure what’ll happen.”

  
“He’s got a good point there, Henry,” Terriermon piped in. “As much as I want to see Takato get better, don’t you think it’d be a better idea let the doctors do their job? They _did_ say that he was going to be okay after all. Momentai.”

  
“I know,” Henry sighed again. “It’s just…” He glanced at Jeri briefly, taking in her quiet, somber expression. “…It’s just we don’t know what we’re dealing with. It’d be better if we were all together.”

  
“Ah, I think ol’ Chumley will be all right,” Kazu added. “I mean, MarineAngemon is pretty harmless and I think I remember him fixing up Renamon and Rika when they were biomerged, so it should be good, right?”

  
“Yeah, but they were data then weren’t they?” Kenta countered. “It’s a little bit different now, isn’t it?”

  
Kazu grunted noncommittally but didn’t respond any further than that. After all, he wasn’t entirely wrong.

  
“What about Rika?” Guardromon asked. “Or the girl who looked like Rika?”

  
Folding his arms over his chest, Kazu scowled. “How do we know that Rika was telling the truth when she said that she was home?”

  
“That’s silly, Kazu!” Jeri snapped, losing a bit of her somber attitude. “That would mean Renamon was lying! Why would _either_ of them do that? Why would Rika attack Renamon?”

  
“How would Rika have powers like Sakuyamon without even being biomerged?” added Kenta. “I mean, it’s weird but…we deal with weird all the time when it comes to the digital world. Maybe this is one of those weird things. Um…” Kenta scratched the side of his head a bit nervously. “The digital world has digimon that are almost the same as what we saw in the TV show. Maybe this is just like that? Maybe she’s kind of like Gennai?”

  
Henry’s eyes flitted over to Kenta, a bit surprised that the boy made that kind of connection. It was odd how many digimon were based off the TV show. True they shared the same starting point, but now that he thought about it, why wasn’t there a divergent point after the actual digimon arrived in the digital world?

  
_The digital world was completely different from what we saw in the show after all, he thought. Maybe this is the same thing. But…why?_

  
Not getting an answer to his unspoken question, he stood up.

  
“We’re going to have to have another talk with Yamaki after school. Hopefully they’ll have something more for us by then.”

  
“Sooner if there’s another attack,” Terriermon muttered under his breath, earning him a sharp glare from his partner. Terriermon simply smiled. “Momentai!”

  
“You’re just asking for trouble,” Kazu said, rolling his eyes. “All right lug nuts,” he continued, turning to Guardromon. “We’re getting out of here. If we’re not here right after school it means we made Mr. Iwamoto mad again.”

  
“Oh dear…” Guardromon groaned. “Should I attempt to free you in that case?”

  
“Um…” began Kenta worriedly, adjusting his glasses. “Let’s not unless it’s an emergency, okay Kazu? You got a week’s worth of detention the last time because Iwamoto thought Guardromon was going to blow up the school.”

  
“All right… Fine, if it’ll make you happy.”

  
Henry, Terriermon and Jeri exchanged amused but worried glances. The new school year brought its own brand of trouble, and for Kazu, Kenta, and Takato, it was in the form of a new teacher. Where Ms. Asagi had been strict in her lessons, Iwamoto seemed determined to make life as difficult as possible for the Tamers in his class. Kazu frequently got into trouble with the man and, Takato, almost as often merely by simple association and desire to stand up for his friend. Things weren’t as bad as they had been at the start of the school year, but the tension remained all the same.

  
_There’s no way Takato’s going to escape being punished for this, Henry thought. Even though he has an excuse._

  
As the Tamers headed off, Henry turned to Jeri. Aside from her outburst at Kazu earlier, she had largely been quiet.

  
“So…um…how are you taking this?” he began, uncertain as to how to approach the girl. The events of the D-Reaper were months ago, but still fresh in everyone’s minds. “About Takato I mean.”

  
“Oh, just…peachy!” Jeri replied, forcing on a cheerful face that was not in the least bit convincing to even a casual observer. Terriermon’s grimace from his spot on Henry’s shoulder quickly caused her to drop the pretence. “Actually…” she began. “…I’m worried about him.” She glanced at Henry furtively, a slight nervous twitch to her voice. “As…As a friend I mean!” Her gaze quickly jerked away, seeming to dart everywhere else, unable to meet either Henry or Terriermon’s eyes. “I mean…I don’t mean… I mean I’d be worried about him no matter what and not because…because…”

  
“We get it Jeri,” Terriermon giggled, placing a tiny paw over his mouth gleefully. “You like Takato and you’re worried. You can admit it now.”

  
“Terriermon…” Henry groaned, palming his face in exasperation.

  
Jeri’s face bloomed bright red and her fingers fumbled at the corners of her book bag. Ahead of them, Kazu turned a surprised expression toward them, having overheard the whole thing.

  
“Wha…? You like Takato, Jeri? Am I hearing things right?”

  
“Yeah, you did!” Terriermon crowed. “What? You didn’t know? I thought it was obvious with the way these two were tripping over each other’s words and blushing…”

  
“Huh.” Kazu looked thoughtful for a moment before turning to Kenta. “I guess I was wrong about him and Rika then.”

  
_“Kazu!”_ hissed Kenta, his eyes going wide as he looked over at Jeri in horror. The still-blushing girl blinked in surprise before picking up her pace to join her two wayward classmates.

  
“Takato and Rika? What are you talking about?” she asked with a frank curiosity that was completely misinterpreted by the two boys.

  
“Uh oh.” Now it was Kazu’s turn to blink, suddenly worried that he had riled up the lion-hearted girl. “I just did something bad didn’t I?”

  
Kenta groaned while behind them Terriermon turned to Henry, still giggling.

  
“Well _that_ got her mind off Takato’s problem…”

  
Henry could only heave a heavy sigh in response.

  
###

  
Suzie coughed as she lay in bed. Turning onto her side she snuggled into her blankets, a miserable look on her face. The door to her bedroom creaked open and her mother, Mayumi Wong, poked her head in, a concerned look on her face.

  
“Hey Suzie,” she said, putting on a small, motherly smile. “How’s my little princess doing?”

  
“Not good,” Suzie replied in a pitiful voice. “My thwoat huwts again.”

  
“How about I make some more tea and honey,” Mayumi said sympathetically. “That helped earlier.”

  
“Okay…” Suzie replied. She felt so tired. She wanted to sleep but even that felt too exhausting to try.

  
She was also bored.

  
Looking down at her floor where there lay books and toys strewn all over the place, her gaze fell upon the small sketch book that lay atop them, a box of crayons sitting next to it—a birthday present from Takato. Her thoughts turned to the story Henry started to tell last night but never finished.

  
“Lopmon?” she asked the grey bunny-digimon quietly reading in the chair near her bedroom window.

  
“Yes Suzie?” she asked, looking up.

  
“Could you help me get my sketchbook? I wanna dwaw…”


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A Story for Suzie

Chapter: 8

_This world was not safe either._

_Nowhere that it went was there safety to be had. Strange creatures populated this city of stone and steel and glass, taking in and spitting out humans. A horseless carriage of some kind it believed, or some kind of homunculi, but regardless where there were humans there was no safe harbor; only death and destruction for as long as it and they existed._

_Were the Reaper capable of conceiving such a thing it would find this…ironic, for that was exactly what fed its growth. However, the humans weren't its primary reason for its concern; merely evidence that it needed to be so._

_The girl and the boy were here; its enemies. The ones who tried to kill it—especially the boy. They were different, as different as this world was from its place of origin, but not so much that it failed to recognize them through its scout. Their guardians were vastly different as well—a dragon and a bipedal fox of some kind._

_It didn't understand, but the lack of information was irrelevant for now. It needed only to observe and gather information. Once it was ready it would come in open force and grow, as it did before with the Order of Hypnos. Then there would be peace._

_Watch. Learn. Grow. To grow though, it would need a host again._

_The city, laid bare, stretching in all directions, gave the Reaper its choice of targets._

###

The day stubbornly refused to end for Rika as she sat down at her desk and began to eat her lunch. Taking her cell phone out of her bag—newly bought courtesy of her mother—and flipped it open to check for messages. Nothing but the picture on its screen of herself, Henry, and Takato from their 'trip' to Okinawa from nearly a year ago greeted her.

"Well aren't they cute?" chirped a voice from behind her that Rika instantly recognized as belonging to one Kayoko Fujiwara, her fellow classmate. "So which one's your boyfriend?"

Rika sighed and closed her phone, returning it to her bag. Turning in her seat, while ignoring the light blush that blossomed on her cheeks, she turned an annoyed eye at Kayoko.

"What do you want?" she asked tersely, trying to keep her tone as even as possible for all the good it would do her. Hands on her hips, Kayoko gave her a smirk. Not for the first time did Rika feel as though she were looking into a cracked mirror. Despite being one year older and having midnight-black hair, Kayoko's dark eyes eerily resembled Rika's; not so much in color as it was the sharpness they had. For many of the girls at the Kagurazaka Girls Academy it only took one glare and they were silenced into submission, often leaving Rika with a sense of déjà vu.

On a daily basis she felt that she most resembled this girl during her early days as a Tamer.

 _The stuck up attitude is about right,_ she thought, remembering the pride she used to take in calling herself the _Digimon Queen_ , a title that seemed so silly now.

"I was just asking which one of those two boys on your phone you were going out with?" Kayoko asked with a touch of sarcasm. "That is, if you haven't scared either of them off by now."

Rika merely looked back at Kayoko's gaze unflinchingly, unimpressed by her interrogation. She tapped her fingers on her desk, rapidly becoming bored.

 _"That's_ none of your business," she emphasized. "Is this going somewhere, or can I get back to eating now?"

Kayoko chuckled a little. "I was just wondering if a freak like you had any kind of life. But I guess not." Raising her hand she waved. "Later."

Rika watched Kayoko go for a moment before returning to her lunch. Her appetite had disappeared somewhat, but she forced herself to eat if only because she knew that if she didn't she would be in an even fouler mood later when she went to check up on Takato. The last thing she wanted was to be irritable toward a friend still in the hospital.

The buzzing of her cell phone caught her attention. Pulling it out she flipped it open once more to find a message from Yamaki. Opening it she quickly read its contents. A small smile graced her face as she saw that, yes, Takato was fine now and awake. They were expecting to discharge him this afternoon.

 _Thank goodness,_ she thought, closing up her phone. _Hunting wild digimon wouldn't be the same without our Gogglehead. Now we can finally get to the bottom of this mess._

###

"I'm telling you there's something there," said a tall, crimson-haired woman—Riley Ootori—to Yamaki as her hands flew across her control panel. "I don't know why but our sensors are just now barely picking up a mild distortion of some kind."

Yamaki scowled as he looked up at the computer screens that lined the walls of Hypnos' control room, displaying a map of Shinjuku.

"Here, here, and here…" said another woman sitting behind Riley with shortly-cropped, copper hair—Tally Onodera. Points of red light lit up on the map. "These are the points where we're getting the strongest signals. Thirteen total, and four of them are stronger than the others."

"Weak points in the dimensional barriers?"

"They _do_ resemble early data from when the digital world was first discovered," Riley replied, cross-referencing the information with their archives. "But they seem to shift around a great deal. Whatever's going on, they're mobile."

"Enhance grid nine," Yamaki said. Riley did so and with that the screen expanded its dimensions to fill up several of its companions. Narrowing his eyes, Yamaki scanned across the map. "That's…Shinjuku hospital." _Where Takato's at._ "Display all known locations again and enhance grids eight and twelve."

Again it was done, and Yamaki felt himself go cold as dawning realization started to fall heavily on him.

_Kagurazaka Girls Academy… That's Rika Nonaka's school. And the other one… That's where the other Tamers all attend. Are…Are the Tamers somehow related to this? What could be going on?_

Before he could pursue that train of thought, an alarm sounded throughout the room.

"Report status!" Yamaki exclaimed angrily.

"Unknown Wild Type is bio-emerging!" Tally shook her head, unable to believe the readouts she was receiving. "The data… It's like nothing I've ever seen before! I…I don't understand! I can't get anything on it!"

"Can we use Yuggoth?"

"We should be able to! I'm uploading it now!"

###

_The burning beast did not know how it came to be here in this world of white light with its strange landscape of angular green and gold. All it knew was that it wanted to get out. It raced the length of the bizarre ground, feeling metal and electricity beneath its feet. Above it was a small, blue and green sphere. Instinctively it jumped upward, striving to reach it…_

_…only to be swiped down as a massive, bony claw slashed across its vision._

_Snarling, the burning lion surged to its feet and loosed a fearsome roar toward its opponent—an impossible creature of snarling skeletal bone with a gaping maw. It bellowed back in return and charged toward its prey. The burning beast dashed to the side, narrowly avoiding being crushed by its powerful feet. Undaunted, the skeletal-dragon slashed its tail after it in pursuit, striking it down with ease. The burning beast rolled with the blow, but felt something snap inside. Pain lanced through its body as it came to a stop. With a soft moan, it saw the skeletal dragon stalk toward it, a massive clawed hand eagerly moving to take its prize. The burning beast closed its eyes, awaiting the end…_

_Had its eyes remained open, it would have seen the blazing three spheres of energy, chained together in a triangle, rushing toward the creature before striking it in its back, detonating the as-yet unseen fish-like missile that lined its spinal column. The creature—A SkullGreymon—howled as its munitions detonated, sending explosions throughout its body, shattering bones and causing its body to destabilize. The burning beast's body was rocked by the explosions and against its will it looked up just in time to see its opponent fall ungracefully to the ground, shards of sparkling data rising into the air. The beast was not down just yet however and it lurched toward the burning lion, instinctually striving to kill it before it died itself._

_The blazing lion did not give it a chance. With a need greater and deeper than it ever knew before, it leapt at the SkullGreymon, rebounding off its bony forehead and into the air. A soft glow materialized around its body and powered by its need, the beast was carried all the way to the blue and green sphere…_

_…and vanished._

###

"Too late!" Riley exclaimed. "Another Wild One intercepted Yuggoth and now it's starting to breach! I've locked on with Tracers! We'll be getting its coordinates in three…two…one…"

Yamaki flicked his lighter open and clenched his teeth as the information came up on the screen.

_Kagurazaka Girls Academy…_

###

The explosion from outside shattered the windows of Rika's classroom, eliciting screams and cries of surprise from her fellow classmates. Rika found herself thrown out of her chair by the force of the blast and she struck the floor hard enough to cause her to bite her tongue, drawing blood.

 _Rika?!_ she heard Renamon's shock through their mental bond, having sensed the bio-emergence just a hairs-breath before it came. In her brief daze, Rika almost found herself unable to differentiate herself from Renamon, feeling her partners feet pounding upon a rooftop as she leapt into action. Shaking herself back to reality she pushed herself to her feet.

 _Trouble…_ she thought, quickly assessing the situation. Grabbing her bag, she pulled out her digivice and card box, clipped to her belt, having decided some time ago to bring it with her rather than leave it at home. "Is everyone all right?" she called out, snapping her belt on. Around her she heard wild exclamations and weeping, none of which told her good news.

"Kiyoko's been hurt!" replied a brown-haired girl—Hana, Rika thought her name was—as she pulled up another girl with a bleeding forehead. Rika grimaced at the sight. She had been close to the windows right when the blast hit.

"What the heck is going on?!" shouted Kayoko from across the room. A loud roar broke across the air in answer. Her expression darkening, Rika quickly rushed over to the window to see what she could before Renamon arrived. Information was always vital to surviving a battle.

At first glance she thought that the digimon in question was a Lynxmon, a digimon she faced once before early in her Tamer career. Its fiery, quadruped form was easily recognizable, but the appearance of the holographic circle over her digivice and its proclamation of No Data quickly abused her from that notion. When the beast looked up, revealing a dark-colored face beneath the twisting flames and glowing red eyes, locking with hers, all further thoughts that this was a digimon at all were gone.

_This must be another one of those…whatever they are. It's not what Renamon described, but it's still not a digimon. That's why I'm not getting any data._

"We've got to get out of here…" Rika began before another ear-splitting roar broke upon the air. Rika dropped her digivice as she covered her ears. The pain from its roar was enormous. It felt as though her head was going to split!

Cracking open an eye she saw the beast turn toward the school and charge. The building shook as it leapt upward, claws outstretched. Seeing this, Rika snatched up her digivice and dove away from the window just as the beast's claws smashed the remains of the windows, shattering the frames. Mighty claws tore into the room and dug for purchase, tearing floor tile and crushing desks. Looking over her shoulder as she landed, Rika saw that the beast's eyes were focused solely on her, following her as she moved. She could see clear hatred burning in its gaze and its claws scrambled to pull its massive form into the room. Not understanding why but seeing the opportunity it presented, she snatched up a desk and flung it at the creature, hitting it squarely in the left eye. The beast howled, nearly losing its balance. Below bricks crumbled as it clawed and slashed for a grip.

 _"What are you all still doing here?!"_ she shouted to her paralyzed classmates. _"Get out of here! Get out of here_ now!"

That seemed to snap them out of their frightened daze. Almost as one the girls raced toward the door at the end of the classroom. Grabbing another desk she readied herself, taking aim. At the very least it seemed that this creature was easier to hurt than digimon were, so she felt she had something of a chance. But if that burning fur was anything else but for show, then she was in trouble.

As if reading her mind, the fire that surrounded the monster increased in intensity and it opened its maw. Light glowed at the back of its throat and it threw a blazing fireball at Rika. Dropping the desk, Rika tried to duck out of the way, only to trip over an overturned chair and tumble to the floor. The fireball narrowly missed her, crashing into a nearby shelf and setting it ablaze. Cursing, Rika got to her feet and kicked the chair out of the way.

 _I've got to keep its attention on me,_ she thought. _That…should be easy enough…as long as it doesn't burn me to death first._

The beast bellowed again and Rika collapsed to her knees, shockwaves smashing into her skull. The water sprinklers sprang to life now, striking the beast and the fires in the room. Intense steam rose up as part of the wall broke apart, allowing the lion full access to the room. It staggered in, its fires dying back a bit but remaining ablaze. Rika could see it glowing within the fog. She heard it sniffing, trying to pick up her scent. A pair of glowing red eyes lit up and fell upon her. Rika grabbed another desk and took a quick look around. Her classmates were gone now. No one else was left for her to be concerned about.

"Just you and me, huh?" she growled, hefting it with some effort and taking aim. She was surprised at how calm she felt in spite of the situation. "All right… Come and get me."

With a low, guttural growl, she sensed the creature crouch before leaping at her. Rika flinched back before hurling the desk. It glanced off the side of the beast's head, not even slowing it down.

 _Renamon…_ she thought, watching the monster soar toward her in almost slow motion. _I hope I made you proud…_

A bright light suddenly burst from her left and crashed into the animal full force, throwing it backward and destroying both teacher's desk and chalkboard in one blow. Spinning in bewilderment, Rika's jaw dropped as she saw an all-too familiar young boy step forward from off to her side, crimson cape flowing behind him and a sword and shield in his hands.

 _"Takato?!"_ she exclaimed incredulously. _How…?_

Giving the girl a quick nod, the knight hefted his shield and took aim, golden energy swirling across its surface.

 _"Final Elysian!"_ he shouted before a blast of white light burst forth from his shield.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A Story for Suzie

Chapter: 9

A red crayon scribbled mercilessly over the picture of the lion, drawing jagged, knife-like lines around its body, giving it the appearance that it was ablaze. Suzie worked feverishly while in front of her Lopmon regarded her with some worry.

"Suzie?" the grey-colored rabbit-digimon began. "Don't you think you've colored enough? You really should get some rest."

"I'm not done yet," Suzie replied, shaking her head. "The pwincess still has to be saved by her knight!"

Lopmon's tiny paws threaded together in concern. The young girl looked so flush. She wondered if she should get Mayumi to take her temperature.

 _Mrs. Wong said that fevers go down a little during the day,_ she tried to reassure herself, but she had the distinct feeling that was a dangerous line of thinking to pursue. "You should still get some rest," Lopmon insisted, getting up from her seat and hopping over to Suzie's bed.

"Ah! Lopmon!" exclaimed Suzie, suddenly gripping her drawing pad in a death grip. "You almost made me mess up the pictuwe!"

"Sorry Suzie…"

"It's okay!" Suzie chirped, switching emotions with that smoothness children often had. "I'm almost done with it! You wanna see?"

Lopmon nodded and Suzie spun the sketchpad around. The lion she watched Suzie work on. There really wasn't much to it; an angry scrawling of sticks with circles for a head and paws. Nonetheless the content was clear. The other one wasn't quite so clear though. It appeared to be stick with…a head of red? Lopmon tilted her head to one side. "Is that…Rika?"

"Yup! The pwincess from Henwy's stowy fwom last night!" Suzie bobbed her head up and down exuberantly. "She's fighting the evil monstew!"

 _That story… It's been on her mind all day_. Lopmon shook her head and offered her partner a small smile. "It's very nice Suzie. I think Rika would like it."

"I still need to dwaw Takato." Suzie doubled over and suddenly began coughing. Fearfully, Lopmon rushed over to the girl's bed stand and snatched up the glass of water sitting on it with her hand-like ears, handing it over. Suzie accepted it gratefully and gulped it down.

"I'm okay now…" she mumbled, drawing the glass back and handing it over to Lopmon. "Thank you."

"Suzie?" came a knock at the door just before it clicked open. "Is everything all right?" Mayumi asked, poking her head inside. "I thought I heard you coughing."

"She was, Mrs. Wong," Lopmon said respectfully, bowing slightly. "She drank some water just now and that seems to be calming her down."

"Hmmm…" Pushing the door open all the way Mayumi entered the room and came over to Suzie's bed, placing a hand on the little girl's forehead. "You're pretty warm," she said, furrowing her brow a little in concern. "I'd better take your temperature." She cast her gaze down at the coloring books and then up at her daughter. "Suzie… You're supposed to be resting."

"I was bored…" Suzie moaned. Mayumi gave her a sympathetic look.

"I'm sorry honey, but rest is really the best medicine for you if you want to beat this bug. Remember, a Tamer always makes sure she gets a good night's rest before she fights bad digimon, right?"

"Yeah…" Suzie didn't sound convinced. So many of their battles often involved combat at night. Henry had more than his fair share of them, leaving him grouchy on occasion.

"And you want to get better as quick as you can, right?" Mayumi continued, rubbing the back of her daughter's head. Suzie nodded. Her mother was wearing down her resistance and she did feel tired after all.

"Okay," Suzie agreed reluctantly, pulling at the covers. Mayumi smiled, glad that she wasn't going to be putting up much of a fuss.

"That's my little princess." Getting up, she helped tuck the girl in. Although she herself wasn't tired, Lopmon curled up next to her partner and settled down, draping an ear over Suzie's stomach. Giving the pair a light kiss on their foreheads, Mayumi collected the sketchbook and placed it on the nightstand. "I'll be in earshot if you need anything, okay?"

Suzie nodded and closed her eyes, drifting ever so slowly towards dreamland.

###

It all started when a dragon much like the one that attacked you appeared near my city, attacking people," began Rika, hefting her staff as she stood up. Takato raised a curious eyebrow at her, following her as she circled around the campfire.

"Isn't that normal for dragons?" he asked. "I mean, that's not unusual for them from what I've heard."

"The 'wild ones', yes, though it was…out of season for them. Something had disturbed them. Yes, 'them'. More dragons followed. And not just dragons. I'm sure you passed by the Lynx you saw. Such things are uncommon, and they avoid human lands as a rule, preferring to stick to the mountains." She turned toward Takato with a scrutinizing gaze. "You had to pass over the mountains, right?"

"Yeah," Takato nodded. He didn't like to remember that experience. The cold almost made him turn back on more than one occasion. It was an oddity though, now that he thought about it. He always heard tales of the fires that occasionally lit up the mountains, warming them. He'd seen his father go on a trip through them once without any kind of winter clothing.

 _How did I not think anything was strange about that?_ he wondered. Of course, a part of him already knew the answer, and he sensed that Rika's problems were related to that.

"After some weeks had passed," the fiery-haired girl continued, "an unknown creature arrived in my home city, destroying buildings and killing innocent people," Rika said,

"A creature?" He rubbed Guilmon's muzzle. "What did it look like?"

"It was man-shaped, but tall. It was armored in some kind of strange, green metal with a horn covering most of its face."

"Green armor?" Takato felt his blood run cold at the description. "And a horn?"

"Yes," Rika nodded, seeing recognition in his eyes. "You know it?"

Takato covered his eyes with one hand and shuddered. _To think that such a thing would come here…_ "Were…" _Oh gods…_ "Were there any others? Is it still alive?"

"It was just the one," Rika replied, taking note of his reactions. "And the creature was killed. When I last was home it was being studied…"

Takato looked up at her in horror. "You _didn't_ destroy it?!" he exclaimed, surging to his feet.

Rika was taken aback by the sudden intensity in his voice. "Is everything all right?"

"You've got to take me to your city!" Takato said, getting Guilmon to his feet. "Oh gods I hope that we're not too late…"

###

_"Final Elysian!"_

White light burst forth from his shield and surged across the ruins of the classroom, smashing into the fiery beast as it struggled to get back to its feet. The lion roared with pain before its body exploded into a thousand sparkling shards. The light from Takato's shield died down, leaving only the sound of water pelting the pair as the brown-haired boy turned to face Rika, who was still staring at him incredulously.

"What…? How…?" she mouthed, trying to express her confusion as to the presence of her friend at her school and so deftly dealing with the monster without Guilmon. _That shield! That's Gallantmon's shield! How is he using it without biomerging? And…And why is he dressed like a…"_

"Are you all right?" Takato asked, worry in his crimson eyes. Realizing that she was soaked to the bone by the still firing fire sprinklers, he quickly sheathed his sword and swung off his crimson mantle, sweeping it around Rika before she could so much as protest. "Come on," he continued, raising his shield over them to create a makeshift umbrella. "Let's get out of here." Looking up he frowned at the ceiling. "Weird… I didn't think that a building could cause rain…"

The rather _Goggle-headed_ words snapped Rika out of her stupor and she nearly flung off the cape. A luminous blush lit up her face but she fought to ignore it.

"Hold it!" she snapped. "Just what are you doing here?! You're supposed to be at the hospital!"

"Uh…hospital?" Takato asked, tilting his head to one side in confusion. "What are you talking about? I'm fine."

In a seeming unending series of bafflement, Rika shook her head, trying to focus on something with which she could use to make sense out of what was going on here. Takato obliterating an unknown monster without Guilmon by his side? "Did that dragon eat your brain when you fought it yesterday? You were _seriously_ out of it! And what's with that sword and shield? What's with that…that… _everything?"_ She looked at Takato in his crimson eyes, confusion etched on her face. "What happened to you?" she continued in a lower voice, her question directed more at herself than the boy.

"Um…" There was that familiar befuddled look that she knew all too well. The Tamer she knew was in there, but as yet nothing told her what changed him so drastically. "I don't get what you're talking about, but…why don't we get out of here and somewhere a little less…" He looked up once again as the sprinklers finally started to taper off. "…rainy…"

Takato lowered his shield, droplets of water falling to the floor. Outside the room Rika could hear the sounds of sirens and running feet. Against her will she started to shiver, but she resisted the urge to pull the cape closer around her.

 _It's not Takato,_ she thought in realization, remembering what her partner said last night about a clone of herself appearing. _I don't get what's going on, but this…this can't be him. He's too…too…_

She wanted to say that he was _too heroic_ , but that wasn't exactly fair given how often he threw himself into danger without a thought for his own safety, not to mention that he biomerged with Guilmon to become a knight. There was something else about him that went beyond the differences in how this Takato and the one she knew went about fighting. Something…

Her eyes widened slightly as she looked into his crimson eyes. For an instant she was reminded of that time in the digital world when Ryo first rescued her, Renamon, Kazu and Kenta from a Megadramon. He played the knight in shining armor then too, and he teased her about it ever since. Her face flushed again, causing Takato to quickly raise a hand to her forehead in concern.

"Are you all right? You feel like you're burning up."

Rika shook him off, fighting through her blush. _Why does this keep happening to me?_

"I'm _fine!_ Look, we need to get out of here before…"

It was just then that Renamon materialized into view in a combat stance. Quickly looking around she spied no sign of danger, save for a familiar brown-haired boy carrying a shield, and a red-draped Rika who looked extremely flustered upon seeing her.

 _"Renamon!"_ the girl called, brushing past the boy and rushing over to her partner, pulling the cape closer around her as she did so. The Takato behind her reached for his sword when he saw Renamon, but paused when seeing Rika run to her as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Um… I take it you two know each other?" he asked. Renamon raised an eyebrow as she relaxed.

"That's not Takato." It wasn't a question. Rika shook her head.

"Not unless you know how Gogglehead can beat you here all the way from the hospital and fight off some weird monster without Guilmon's help." Turning toward the boy, she decided to play along for now and introduce them. "Takato…this is Renamon, a very good friend of mine."

"Hi, I'm Takato," he said, approaching the pair and extending a hand in friendship. Rika bit down on her tongue to keep from snapping at him about how she already told Renamon his name.

"Honored," the vulpine digimon replied, accepting his hand and inclining her head slightly. She noted the difference in reactions between this version of Takato and the one of Rika that she encountered in the park. _No hostility. Just open acceptance. Very much like Takato…though a bit quicker about it. Interesting._ Turning toward Rika she nodded. "We should take him to Hypnos quickly so that we can try to resolve this."

"Hypnos?" Takato's eyebrows rose in surprise at this. "But…they're all the way in the north! It'll take forever to reach them!"

Rika had no idea what it was this copy of Takato was talking about, but she still chose to play along. Whatever it took to keep his cooperation and trust—and he seemed to trust her—the better. Reaching behind her she withdrew two cards from her pouch and her D-Arc.

"Not with these it won't," she smiled. _"Digi-modify! Digivolution activate!"_

Slashing through the first card—a digivolution card—light exploded from Renamon's form. Data peeled away from her body as it changed shape, her face elongating and her body becoming quadruped. Eight new tails sprang into existence to join their cousin and new data formed along the length of her body, crafting skin and fur to complete the transformation.

_"Renamon, digivolve tooo…Kyubimon!"_

Rika smirked seeing the astounded expression on this Takato's face. Climbing aboard she looked over her shoulder.

"Need a lift?" she asked, readying her speed upgrade card next.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own digimon.

A Story for Suzie

Chapter: 10

Things did not go as planned.

Even the best laid plans never survive first contact with reality. Not that Rika had a plan when it came to Takato's clone. Still, she at least hoped to control the situation, keep her 'knight' calm so that Hypnos could work things out without any trouble. So she called Hypnos while on route and apprised them of the situation. They were waiting when they arrived which seemed to be a good start. Rika, still playing along, identified them as her 'servants' just to be safe and explained that she would tell him everything once he was settled. Then one of the agents mentioned that they would take 'Takato' into Hypnos' protective custody.

Things went a little haywire after that.

_I see it but I don't believe it…_ Rika thought as the knight continued to struggle. In spite of (finally) being pinned, by Renamon no less and even she appeared to struggle a little to hold him, he just refused to give up. The Hypnos agents that hadn't been laid out on the ground like cheap lawn ornaments were now starting to move in, one of them removing a pair of cuffs from his suit. Renamon backed away just enough for the agents to snap them on and then retreated over to her partner as they hauled the youth up. The vulpine digimon kept a wary eye on the Takato. Even though he hadn't attempted to harm her, she still found him to be skilled opponent.

"His strength is different than what I expected," she confided to Rika.

"He's faster too," Rika added. As much as she hated to admit it, until Renamon took the Takato down, for a second it looked almost as though he were _dancing_ with the kitsune digimon in a kind of choreography. From her vantage point, the only reason the fight was short was because Takato seemed to remember who he was fighting—a friend of Rika's—and hesitated for the briefest of moments, giving her all the time she needed to end the battle.

_"Rika!"_ the Takato called out as he pulled against the agents that held him.

_For goodness sake, two of them are having a hard time holding him and he's as scrawny as Takato!_ She saw the confusion and urgency in his eyes and she found herself grimacing in sympathy. This version of Takato was like a fish out of water. He had no idea what was going on and now even less of an idea where he was or how he got here. The sights and sounds around him were so different and strange.

"I'd better defuse this," Rika said, approaching the scene.

"Ms. Nonaka," began one of the agents, circling toward her. "I'm afraid for your safety you're going to have to keep your distance…"

"Stuff it," Rika cut in bluntly. "I just need a moment." She stopped in front of the boy and he stopped struggling, his crimson eyes locking with her violet ones.

"R-Rika…" he gasped, trying to catch his breath. That was comforting. It made him a bit more human. A bit more like the Takato she knew. "These guys… They're _not_ Hypnos…"

"I told you things were… _different,_ right? And that I would explain things later." She chose her words carefully, knowing that whatever she said now was going to haunt her later. _There's too much that I don't know here…_

The Takato nodded reluctantly and Rika relaxed a little. That was a good sign. He was listening.

"You trust me, right?"

The Takato nodded again.

"Then trust me now. These guys are from Hypnos… Just not the one you know. Sorry I didn't make that clear. Either way, you need to trust them. They're on our side. They won't hurt you."

Takato stared into Rika's eyes for a moment before finally relaxing. The agents warily released their hold on him and backed off a half-step, ready to jump into action at the slightest hint of aggression.

Somehow Rika had the impression that, even handcuffed, this Takato was more than capable of taking them all out.

"All right," Takato said, taking a deep, calming breath. "I'll go with you."

"If you would come this way then…" began one of the agents with a bruise swelling on his face, taking hold of him by the arm and gesturing to the building behind them. Rika watched them go for a moment, still unable to believe what she had seen. It was amazing that none of the agents had been _killed_ during that fight. The look in his eyes when hell broke loose…

_He moves a bit like Renamon,_ she noted as the vulpine digimon approached her.

"I spoke briefly to Henry's father before the… _bio-emergance,"_ Renamon said. "While I can't say that I understand everything he said, he did state that Hypnos had been detecting some unusual… _discrepancies_ with their sensors."

"Kind of like what you were talking about last night, right?" Rika asked. She folded her arms across her chest. "This is really weird. Did they have any idea why copies of me and Takato are running around? Or if we can expect any of the others to show up?"

"Janyu said that he cannot be sure as there is much about the digital world that we don't know."

"Did he at least guess? He's a nerd…er, _scientist,_ right? He's got to have one."

Renamon tilted her head to one side thoughtfully before replying. "He… _suggested_ that it might have something to do with our visit to the digital world. If it's anything like a computer, a copy of our data may have been made, after which it mutated like digimon have and the D-Reaper did. There could very well be an entire species made up of you and your friends."

"Great," Rika grumbled. "As if one Kazu wasn't bad enough. Or Ryo for that matter. This is going to be just great, I can tell that already." Sighing, she looked down at her clothes, still damp from the sprinklers. The red cape was still draped over her. She had nearly forgotten about that. "As much as I hate to leave that goofball right now, I need to get home and get changed before anything _else_ crazy happens." She looked over at Renamon, who nodded and took the girl into her arms. Taking one last look at the other version of Takato, they vanished into thin air.

###

Yamaki stood on the other side of the mirror-window, carefully taking in this 'second Takato'. He was presently sitting in a chair, carefully restrained so as to not hurt anyone, with a doctor and a group of technicians—of whom Janyu was among—hovering around him. The doctor was carefully drawing blood from the boy who, in spite of his apprehension, cooperated, a far cry from the fight he put up outside of Hypnos earlier. Yamaki had seen the footage and would again before this day was out.

_The way he handled all those agents…_ he thought, flicking his lighter open with a loud click. He was broken from his thoughts as Janyu opened the door and entered the room.

"Well, he's human," the man said. Yamaki raised an eyebrow.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I mean he's human in all the ways that matter. Except for the fact that he _is_ made of digital information, he appears to be as human as you or me. I'll need to go over the data to be sure, but so far he checks out."

"That doesn't explain Rika's story about his use of attacks." The battle with the agents seemed could be due to some kind of special training, but that part of this Takato's tale stretched credibility. Humans simply didn't have that ability.

"There is still a great deal about the digital world and digimon that we don't know," Janyu reminded him. "One of which is how they resemble a TV show so much. True it was based off the original AI program my friends and I developed, but the similarities pretty much end there." Janyu shrugged. "At this point I half-expect him to be like that Gennai character from the television series; a digimon, but not a digimon. So far we seem to be on the right path."

"I wasn't aware that your research also included a children's fantasy program," said Yamaki, flicking his lighter closed and then open again.

"Dolphin and Shibumi started looking into it a few months ago during their off hours. They believe that since there is a connection between digimon and how they interact with children like the Tamers there may be a relationship with the show as well. The introduction of Shibumi's code into the digital world may be connected but it's hard to say. Frankly I have a hard time following it but the ideas are interesting."

"Do they have anything concrete?"

"Nothing as yet."

Yamaki flicked his lighter closed with a metallic click. "Shibumi's code… We've seen it create consciousness before… According to reports, the Arc became conscious simply because Takato and his partner spoke to it."

Janyu nodded. "There are some ideas involving the Anthropic Principle behind Shibumi and Dolphin's thinking. If that's the case, it could mean that _anything_ composed of digital matter exposed to Shibumi's code could generate life simply by acknowledging it or imagining it as so. The human imagination could be akin to the chemical 'spark' that caused biological life to emerge."

Yamaki frowned. "Which opens up new doors of possibilities… New dangers. The digital versions of Rika and now Takato may be the start of something new."

"Well, yes," acknowledged Janyu. "But does that mean that it is actually dangerous? Not all digimon are so and we benefit from them."

Yamaki folded his arms over his chest. "They're an unknown, which can mean a great deal of things, including danger. Are you aware that the official United States policy regarding contact with extra-terrestrial life was that if such a civilization sent a message to us that humanity should not respond?"

"I…" Janyu blinked. "No. I can't say that I was aware."

"The policy wasn't made out of paranoia, but rather a healthy caution. We need to exercise caution here. You and I both know well that once Pandora's Box is opened there is no closing it. Here the lid has been cracked. I was ignorant before when the digital world first appeared on our sensors. I don't intend to make the same mistakes this time. Not when the price for not being careful is the world." He turned to look at Janyu more fully. "I asked you once if you were willing to risk your son's life for the sake of artificial intelligence. Knowing what you do now, what would your answer be?"

The door clicked open and the doctor exited, carrying a cooler. The man nodded to them and said he was heading down to the lab for analysis of the blood sample.

"I would still think that it's such a waste," Janyu replied as soon as they were alone again. Yamaki nodded and returned his attention to the other Takato.

"I never said that it wouldn't be, Janyu."

###

_A small red pellet struck the ground by the playground. It watched it roll for a moment before it buried itself into the ground. The Bird-Reaper continued on. Although a specific target to serve as its new host would be ideal, there was something to be said for the 'spray and pray' method. As long as it left fragments of itself where a potential host could stumble upon it, its survival and growth would be assured._

_This city was full of virile, potential hosts that it could utilize, but if given the preference it was looking for a particular type of host—a taste. It could sense one close by now as a matter of fact—one that was eerily familiar—just as it sensed others near the school of the fire-haired girl, but the presence of that girl and her fox served as a detriment to further exploration. Not that it mattered. It had everything it needed, and plenty to choose from. Now approaching its current target, it would soon be complete._

_It flew toward Shinjuku Elementary, already starting to prepare its body for the transformation. Soon, it would be complete, and then there would come a reckoning._

_Although it didn't need to, it flapped its wings to urge more speed out of them to hasten its journey._


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A Story for Suzie

Chapter: 11

Calumon floated through the iar on his wing-like ears, going back and forth between humming quietly to himself and giggling childishly. For the moment he was pursuing a news helicopter as it followed the pattern of traffic, its blades making a "Whup! Whup! Whup!" sound. Just listening to it caused Calumon to erupt in another round of giggles.

"You're so silly Mr. Copter!" Calumon laughed. The helicopter of course didn't respond, continuing on listlessly. Calumon tilted his head to one side and he tapped a paw against his mouth, looking somewhat saddened by this silence. "You still don't want to talk, do you? Okay…"

Shaking his head, the diminutive white digimon floated away. This had been the pattern for as long as he had been in the human world. Jeri tried to explain to him once that the helicopter could not possibly talk to him or play games of tag (no matter how often he tried to do so). Neither could the cars of course but that seemed silly no matter how he looked at it.

_Grani became a real digimon, he thought. All he needed was a little persuasion from Guilmon. What am I doing wrong?_

Such questions would go unanswered for the creampuff-shaped digimon, and he decided to retreat somewhere a little more familiar. Somewhere where he didn't have to deal with silly questions.

The playground served as the Tamers secondary meeting place whenever they needed somewhere close by to meet up or when they were off to school (the latter being absent of Rika due to her attendance at a different school), but while the time wasn't quite right for them to be out—Calumon thought, as he still hadn't yet learned how to tell time except through the positioning of the sun—that didn't mean that he couldn't go there and find someone else to play with. Sure enough, as he neared the playground, he sighted some children and parents in the area. Calumon cried out in glee and sped down, landing and retracting his ear-wings.

"Hi!" he greeted, his big, green eyes swiveling around. Heads turned in his direction and he waved. "I'm Calumon! Does anyone want to play?"

At first some children started toward him with big, wide smiles on their faces, but this quickly ended when parents rushed forward and snatched them up by the hand, dragging them away.

"It's a digimon!" shouted one of them. Calumon's face fell at that.

"Hey! I'm a good digimon! I don't blow stuff up! I… Come back!" Calumon hopped after the humans as they rushed off, leaving him to look down at the ground with sorrowfully. "I just want to play…"

It looked like today was going to be a boring day. Turning around he started plodding along in the direction of the swing sets.

"Awww… Whatsa matter creampuff? Someone beat you up and take your lunch money?"

Pausing, Calumon looked up in search of the familiar voice and quickly found it in the form of a slightly taller, dark-colored digimon with a pale face, red bandanna and gloves, and an evil-looking smiley face imprinted on his belly.

"Impmon!" Calumon cried out, quickly bouncing over to him. "Yay! Yay! Yay! _Yaaay!"_

"Take it easy the— _oof!"_ Impmon grunted as Calumon bowled him over and clambered on top of his head. Sitting up, Impmon scowled at him.

"Hey! Get offa me! Do I look like Terriermon's partner to you?"

"Oh Impmon, he's just happy to see a friend…" came another voice followed by a pair of giggling. Looking around Calumon found Impmon's partners, a girl named Ai and her brother Mako, as they appeared from behind the slide.

"Oh! You brought friends!"

"Yeah." Impmon got to his feet and hoisted Calumon down. "They got let out of school a little early today, so I figured I'd take 'em out and run 'em around. So what're you doin'? Besides moping and making me depressed lookin' at you I mean."

"Not much else except that I'm happy to see you guys. Everyone is at school so I've got nothing else to do." A light bulb seemed to turn on in his head and Calumon tapped a paw against his chin. "Oh! Maybe I should go to school too! I hear they have a class on having fun. I'll bet I'll pass every test they have!"

"That's called recess," said Ai as she and her brother approached the pair. "It's not a class. It's just a break."

"Oh…"

Impmon snickered. "Maybe you should go to school anyway so you can learn yourself a little somethin' called 'common sense'…"

"Impmon!" exclaimed Calumon. Impmon snickered again.

"I'm just teasin' ya. Sheesh! The way you react it's like you was thinkin' I wanted to load your data or somethin'." Impmon scowled a little and scratched the side of his face. "Anyway, it looks like we've got the park to ourselves now and since it looks like I'm babysitting you too…uh…" He looked over all three. "Who wants to play a game?"

"I do!" shouted Mako, pumping his fist into the air. "I want to play 'Tamers'! I'll be the evil digimon this time and I'll be chasing…uh…" He looked down at Calumon. "Calumon, right?"

"Uh-huh!" Calumon giggled.

"So Ai and me are going to rescue ol' creampuff?" Impmon folded his arms over his chest. "I dunno. I'm pretty sure he can hold up on his own pretty well. The D-Reaper couldn't get rid of him. If I had to choose between Calumon and a rampaging digimon—or a rampaging Mako—I'd pick Calumon any day of the week."

Mako looked at Impmon with a hurt face, causing Ai to give their partner a hard look. Impmon rolled his eyes under their gaze.

"All right. If Calumon wants…"

"I do! I do! I do, I _dooo!"_

"Fine. Mako. Go terrorize him. Calumon, be terrorized. Ai and I will do the dashing hero act." He grinned up at Ai. "Make me look good. The whole world's countin' on ya!"

And so the game went as Calumon took off at a run with Mako chasing after him, arms outstretched and making childish, roaring noises, stomping with his feet as he went. Impmon watched them go, counting to ten to give them time to really get into the game.

He didn't make it to five when Mako suddenly stopped in mid stride and looked down at the ground. Cocking an eyebrow Impmon called out, "You find somethin' buddy?"

"There's something glowing underneath the…" Mako began before the dirt suddenly erupted in a stream of crimson.

###

Takato slid his familiar blue hoodie over his head and brushed himself off. He looked at the bandage that wrapped around his arm where he had been injured in his fight from last night. He had been 'debriefed' by one of Yamaki's agents.

_A dragon-digimon?_ He shook his head. That wasn't exactly right from what little he had been told. The agent had given him a cliff-notes version of Hypnos' information—half of which was presently classified—leaving him with more questions than answers.

_It's got to be from the digital world. I mean, where else could it have come from? I know how in the TV show Gennai said there were many other worlds but so far we've only seen two._ A small smile spread across his face as he took up his goggles and slid them over his head. _Though now that I think of it, if there's a world out there with another Rika whose a wizard that would be kind of cool. That would be something, if there were so many worlds out there that the TV show really was real…_

He chuckled. _Oookay, I think someone needs to lay off the TV for a while. I can't wait to see how Guilmon is doing. He's supposed to be all right…besides being hungry that is. Man, he is such a bottomless pit._ He had been disappointed to learn that the hospital discharged Guilmon out of fear of what his digital makeup could do to their equipment, but as Hypnos had been able to quickly take him in and had the necessary facilities he decided that it had been for the best. Digimon were far from being human and he knew from experience that bio-emergences had the tendency to scramble technology.

His clothes on, he picked up his D-Arc out of the box that earlier held his belongings…and nearly dropped it as a surge of electricity tore loose from the device. Takato cried out in surprise as the lightning arced in front of him and formed a humanoid shape. Features formed quickly, taking on the familiar violet eyes and red hair that Takato immediately recognized as belonging to Rika, only the similarities in her face ended there. Her hair was down and her clothes looked outlandish! Long purple gloves with black fingertips holding a bronze vajra staff and a sleek black sash over what appeared to be a silk dress of violet and gold over a kimono.

_It's like she's out of some fairy tale,_ Takato thought, immediately recalling the agent's report about another Rika who appeared at the battle site, deciding that this had to be her. He backed up as the girl solidified and looked around her, taking in her surroundings before finally settling on him, eyes narrowing. _And there's the Matsuki luck. She looks mad…_

"What's going on?" she asked in a calm tone that surprised him. She didn't sound mad. Annoyed, but mostly curious.

_Does she look like she's glad to see me?_ he wondered, noticing a softening in her gaze as she looked him over.

"Takato…" she began, her eyes settling upon his bandaged arm.

The boy pointed at himself with raised eyebrows. "You know me?"

She took his arm and looked at him quizzically. "Of course I know you. We've been together for…" She hesitated, pressing her lips together as she scrutinized him more closely. "Did that demon fox do something to your memory? She cast a spell and I…"

Again she hesitated. Takato was in the middle of puzzling out her words when suddenly she swept him up into her arms, pulling him into a powerful hug. Takato went rigid, not at all sure how he was supposed to react. He could feel heat flushing his face as her hand brush against the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair and caressing it affectionately.

_Wha…Wha…Whaaa…?_ _What is going on here? Does she…? No! That's crazy! She's just happy to see me…or whatever me she's expecting. She… Hold on! Did she say "we've been together"?_

As his brain lost itself in the storm of his thoughts, the duplicate of Rika pulled away, a hard look on her face. "I promise you," she began, "that if that demon fox was in _any_ way connected to what's going on with you…"

"Demon fox?" Takato looked at her baffled, but quickly seized upon the words, finding _something_ that was more readily understandable. "You mean Renamon?"

Upon seeing that she didn't understand what he was talking about, he, with great care, separated himself from her. "Um…looks like a fox with purple arm guards? Bright yellow?"

"Yes," 'Rika' nodded. "She did something to me… Sent me away and now I'm back…with you…and you don't remember that we…" She blushed lightly but kept her gaze on him. Stepping forward she thrust her face at his, her expression becoming angry as she took hold of him by the shoulder with one hand. "You've _got_ to remember! It can't be gone! Not all of it!"

"Um…" Takato raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Hang on. I _do_ know who you are. You're Rika. Rika Nonaka and…" He swallowed, feeling as though he was standing precariously on a ledge. Seeing 'Rika's' eyes relax upon his confirmation of knowing her name did nothing to ease his own anxieties. "…this is going to take a _lot_ of explaining…"

Rika opened her mouth to say something, but just then her eyes glowed blue and her head snapped over in the direction of the window.

"No…" she breathed. "It's here."

"Huh?" Takato looked over his shoulder, finding nothing. "Uh… _What's_ here."

"The Chaos." The word sent a chill down Takato's spine. Rika slashed a hand to one side, causing Takato to jump in surprise as the window bent inward and shattered. "We need to go. We have to destroy it before it gets a chance to spread and grow!"

Takato didn't know what was going on but the Tamer in him recognized the deadly seriousness in her voice. And that word… _The Chaos_ … He couldn't ignore that.

"I'm going to need Guil…"

"We don't have the time to get your horse!" 'Rika' interrupted, grabbing the boy by the waist. Blue light surrounded her body and with her charge she jumped out into the open air above Shinjuku's streets.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A Story for Suzie

Chapter: 12

"It's going to take too long on foot, even if we rode your horse," Rika said, grabbing hold of the knight's shoulder before he could begin climbing atop his mount. "I have another way, but before I go expending my magic on this, I need to know what we're getting into."

Takato's red eyes met her violet ones before he glanced away, looking in the direction of the forest. "I thought I saw it earlier… Right before the dragon attacked. I almost forgot about it. A bird that's not quite a bird." He returned his gaze back to her questioningly. "You didn't see anything like that, did you?"

"A bird that's not a bird…" Rika's eyebrows narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Black eyes, round like coins and a disk around its tail. Wings too, but they're shaped…weird. The feathers are boxy, and they have golden eyes on them."

"I haven't seen anything like that," she replied. Her shadow quivered below her. _Neither has she…_

"Did you find any red spheres? This one is really important!"

At that, Rika blinked. Reaching to her belt, she withdrew the small, shielded ball from her pouch. No sooner did she do so that the object was abruptly struck from her hand, bouncing as it hit the ground. Growling angrily, her shadow erupted from beneath her feet and smashed Takato in the chest, throwing him backward. He struck the dirt heavily and he grunted in surprise.

"Wait!" he rasped, trying to rally himself. "I…" As he began to sit up he saw the pointed end of the girl's staff aimed directly at his right eye. Rika glared at him heavily, eyes dark and thunderous. "I didn't mean," he resumed, holding up his hands in a placating gesture, "to hurt you or anything. It's just…" he pointed in the direction that the sphere fell, "…that thing… It's dangerous. I've seen what it can do to someone who doesn't know anything about it." Takato's expression darkened as a memory flitted across his mind of a brown-haired girl. "Believe me… I don't _ever_ want to see that happen to someone again."

Rika held his gaze for a moment longer. Seeing the shadow in it she retracted her staff and held out her hand, the one Takato had struck. Upon his accepting it, Rika helped him back to his feet. Quickly locating the sphere, Takato approached it warily.

"They're called Reapers," he said, circling it. "This is a seedling. All Reapers can make them, but usually only one will, like a Queen Bee. If one isn't available though the others will start spreading new ones, trying to make a new colony, or something like that." Crouching, he gazed at the red orb. "The one I saw was a scout. That's all they were used for. The one you said attacked your city? We called them 'Horn Strikers'. They're extremely tough. A soldier class. They're built to take a beating and dish it out. Hypnos doesn't know where they came from, but what we do know is that the best way to deal with them is to burn them out…down to the last root."

Drawing a knife from his boot, electricity sparked along its blade, causing Rika's eyebrows to rise in surprise. Taking no notice, he drove the blade down onto the seed, piercing it and causing it to blacken before vanishing into dust and ash. He looked back up at Rika as the current died down. Sheathing it he stood and dusted himself off.

"Seeds can infect people, making them just like Reapers. You might never know it until they're ready to reveal themselves. They're good at hiding."

"What are you getting at?" Rika asked, although she was already guessing what the knight meant.

"What I mean is that there's a good chance that people in your city have been turned into Reapers, and even now are infecting others. We need to get there as soon as possible!"

###

 _"Mako!"_ shouted Impmon, rushing forward as the light of digivolution enveloped his body, causing it to grow and change. A black, beak-like mask formed over his face as it became pale and more human-like. A black-leather jacket, jeans, and spiked, steel-toed boots materialized around his body along with a pair of berenjena shotguns—one strapped to a leg and the other over his shoulder. His black tail lengthened and became more rat-like in appearance. His digivolution finished, Impmon, now Beelzemon, tore into the dust cloud.

"Mako! Where are you! Talk to… _Aaagh!"_ The Demon-digimon was abruptly cut off as something stabbed into his side. Pain lanced through him but he held steady, gritting through it. Reaching down he found the source, something familiar that set every one of his senses on fire. Just touching it caused his data to squirm in revulsion and he felt his stomach heave in response.

It became the easiest thing in the world to tear whatever it was loose.

Falling back while breathing heavily, Beelzemon took only a second to look over what attacked him—a crimson cable, though oddly with thorns lining it—before quickly throwing it to the side. Drawing a shotgun he took a single shot at it, shattering it into thousands of shining shards. He didn't know why, but instinct told him to destroy it.

Its owner let out an inhuman shriek, clearly not happy with what took place. Beelzemon didn't care. There was only one thing that at the top of his list of priorities right now, and it did not include an angry invader from another dimension.

 _"Where's Mako?!"_ he demanded as the dust finally started to settle. A shadow moved from within. A disturbingly _large_ shadow. _"Where is he?!"_

"Impmon!" Ai shouted behind him, raising a purple-ringed digivice in her hand. "I'm ready to help! Just tell me what to do!"

"What I need for you to do is get outta here!" Beelzemon snapped. "This don't look like it's going to…"

The interruptions did not look as though they were going to end anytime soon as the shadow from within the smoke lunged forward, sending numerous, thorned tentacles stabbing and groping at Beelzemon's direction. The Demon-Lord digimon slashed with his clawed hands, ripping the tentacles apart with razor-thin streams of energy. The creature shrieked again and backed away, this time coming into view as the last remnants of the dust cloud settled.

Beelzemon felt his jaw drop at the creature before him. Memories of the D-Reaper came unbidden to his mind. He never saw the D-Reapers final form. At least, not directly. He had been out of the action due to injuries sustained in battle, but he saw the photos. An armless cloak of red and violet with a gold mask and a single-eye at the center. This creature, although vastly smaller (the D-Reaper itself had enveloped an entire city and made it a part of its body) bore a striking resemblance to the evolved program.

"What…is going on here?" he asked aloud, his eyes trailing over its body until it settled on Mako and Calumon, both lying on the ground a short distance off. Mako was starting to stir, making groggy noises and shaking his head.

 _Oh please don't notice him…_ Beelzemon thought, taking aim with his shotgun. Fortunately for him this… _Reaper_ only had an eye for him. Its tentacles reached forth, testing the distance between them while shifting its spot on the playground. It was making a low, insect-like, chittering noise. Beelzemon ground his teeth together. The creature had positioned itself in front of Mako and Calumon. He didn't dare shoot for fear of hitting them.

"Fine," he growled, holstering his shotgun and flexing his claws. "If that's how you want things, that's how they're going to be. Let's get this over with. _Darkness Claw!"_

Letting loose a powerful battle cry, Beelzemon charged forward, slashed at the Reaper with his claws, slicing through the first round of tentacles that attempted to entrap him before slamming directly into the creature's body. Its appendages were quick to rap around him though and with an immense strength that belied its appearance, began to force him back. Beelzemon struggled, but his arms were restrained, and the creature even now was taking hold of his legs.

_This…may not have been the best idea in the world…_

With an animalistic roar the Reaper-form began to split apart down the middle of its body, revealing a gaping maw of cables that surged out, each one shining as they revealed metal syringes at their tips. Beelzemon howled as each and every one found their marks, digging deep and twisting. A crimson light filled his eyes as they began to both drain a black fluid from his body and pump another of bloody red in its place. Beelzemon thrashed as his entire body revolted, every muscle and fiber of his being screaming out for release, but he found his strength vanishing rapidly. The cables refused to budge so much as an inch.

It was just then that an azure fire ripped through the cables, severing them and sending streams of black and red fluids flying through the air, staining the ground below and Beelzemon as he collapsed. Shrieking, the Reaper-entity fell back, retracting its tentacles back into its body and swiveling its head around for the source of its attacker. It found it in the form of a fiery-haired girl, holding one violet-gloved hand before her, blue fire dancing along her fingertips, and a dark expression on her face. Next to her stood a completely horrified and flummoxed boy with a pair of goggles on his face.

"Beelzemon!" Takato shouted. He started to break into a run, but 'Rika' grabbed hold of him by the arm and held firm.

"No! Don't go to—!"

'Rika' didn't get a chance to finish as the Reaper-entity suddenly lashed out at her with a thorn-covered tentacle, cracking it like a whip. It smacked across her face, causing her to stagger as blood flowed from her cheek. If her eyes hadn't been angry before, they were positively storm clouds now. Her shadow surged forth, slashing with an 'arm' that cut across the Reaper's abdomen, causing it to howl and nearly fall to the ground.

"Are you all right?" Takato asked. Now it was his turn to take her by the arm as he tried to inspect her injury.

"Not now," she replied coldly as her shadow withdrew back to her. "I need a second to power up. Can you hold it off?"

"Huh?" Takato blinked. "But…I don't have Guil… Never mind. I…" Takato shook his head and looked at the Reaper as it reformed over its injuries and righted itself. _Oh man… I have no idea what I'm going to do here. I'm useless without Guilmon! But I can't just do nothing!_

"You only need a second, right?" Takato asked, licking his lips carefully. "I…I'm pretty sure that I can manage that." _Though I'll probably get killed trying…_

He tightened his grip on his digivice and withdrew a card from his pocket. He had never tried using the modify cards without Guilmon. He had no idea what would happen. Previous experience told him that any items created by modify cards would form around the digimon it was used on.

Adjusting his stance, he raised his arms, preparing to slide the card through the slot. 'Rika' eyed him with a quizzical expression.

Suppose though that, as with the Blue Cards, if all he needed to do was _believe_ , that would be enough to change that?

_"Fox Tail Inferno!"_

Takato didn't get a chance to find out as a flurry of fireballs struck the Reaper, setting it alight and causing it to scream in pain. His head whipping about, he spied the real Rika Nonaka, hair up in her traditional ponytail and in her normal day clothes, the sun to her back, sitting on the back of the nine-tailed digivolved form of Renamon, Kyubimon. Behind Takato, the other Rika's eyes widened in surprise at seeing 'herself'.

"Rika!" Takato exclaimed, a smile breaking across his face. Smirking, Rika cocked her head to one side and placed a hand on her hip.

"Figures. I leave you alone for a day and the first thing you do is get into trouble without me. You're going to have to make this one up to me, Gogglehead."

Beating down the blue flames, the Reaper turned a baleful glare at the girl and her fox. Tendrils whipped about angrily and took aim at the flame-haired girl. Raising her blue-trimmed digivice, Rika pronounced the words that would spell the creature's doom.

_"Biomerge activate!"_


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A Story for Suzie

Chapter: 13

Takato heard Guilmon whicker next to him as he stamped his feet nervously. The knight couldn't blame him. The horse was not used to having the ground not directly beneath his hooves. As such, it was proving to be the utmost test of his courage to not panic.

"Easy there, boy," Takato said, running a soothing hand through the horse's main. He could feel scales growing beneath them, a fine, rusty color that gleamed in the sunlight. Guilmon had never been the kind of horse to win prizes, even with his unique coat but this… Takato wasn't sure if he would get used to his new appearance.

 _I'd rather that he be alive and looking like this than dead,_ he thought. _Not that he doesn't look bad this way. In fact, I'd say he looks great! That girl…_ He cast a look over his shoulder at the red-haired sorceress, her violet eyes narrowed in concentration. This 'Rika' was certainly something else with a grace and power that he hadn't seen since…

A flash of amber eyes and brown hair caused Takato's lips to draw up into a grimace and he quickly looked away, feeling both sorrow and shame. Looking down, he lost himself in the rush of trees. They were traveling in an orb of magical energy of sorts, invisible but as solid to the touch as Guilmon.

"This…" Takato paused to clear his throat before continuing. "This is amazing."

"Hm," Rika simply returned, her fingers flexing on her staff.

"I mean it," Takato insisted. "No one at Hypnos could do this sort of thing. I mean, yeah, we had our wizards and everything, but not a single one of them could do this. If we could do this, the war would have…"

"Could you please _not_ distract me?" Rika said irritably.

"Oh, sorry."

"We're going to be at the city soon," she said, shifting her grip on her staff. She pressed her lips together for a moment before continuing. "If things are as bad as you say, we should probably land outside the walls to scope out the situation."

"Huh? Already?" He looked down at the blur of trees. They were going fast, but he certainly hadn't expected them to be moving quite that quickly. _How close was I to reaching civilization?_

"Yes," Rika continued, "now keep quiet. This is…a tricky spell to work with when there's more than one person involved." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Make sure your donkey stays under control."

"Hey!" Takato exclaimed, indignant. "Guilmon is _not_ a donkey! Big difference! _Big_ difference!"

"Whatever," Rika shrugged. "Just make sure he doesn't go wild or anything. I need silence."

Takato scowled but managed to stay calm as he patted Guilmon down. That was a side of her personality he decided he didn't like. _What's her deal?_ he wondered. It seemed rather uncalled for to insult his horse like that. Turning his attention back to the forest below, he lost himself in the sea of green, thinking back on home no matter how much he wished he wouldn't.

Soon enough, as the great walls of a city approached, Rika dropped them all down into the forest and came to a soft landing. The touch of their invisible sphere vanished, leaving the trio suspended in the air for a fraction of a second before they touched down.

"That was…interesting," Takato said with a smile as Rika breathed a sigh of relief. "You did great."

Rika raised an eyebrow at him before hefting her staff and brushing by him. The knight's smile dropped. He and Guilmon exchanged looks before following her.

 _I hope that there isn't any trouble in her city,_ he thought. _What the Reapers did back home was bad enough. His fingers drew together into a tight fist. I'll never forgive myself if I allowed even one speck of that monster to survive. I was sure… So sure…_

He felt Guilmon's nose nudge against his face as if to say that it wasn't his fault. Takato grunted and patted him back, but refused to let his dark mood drop. His imagination was already awhirl with possibilities. If there was a Reaper Tower there; a Mother, then the best option for them was to retreat back to Hypnos and get backup. If there was little else though—say a smattering of drones as they attempted to establish their hive—then containing the situation would be simple.

At least, he hoped it would be.

 _Might as well prepare for the worst case scenario. Reapers spread fast._ Reaching down, he touched the hilt of his sword. Lightning leaped from a fingertip and snaked down the handle. Shaking his hand, Takato took hold of Guilmon's reigns and turned to Rika, furrowing his brow a little as she shook her head to steady herself.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm _fine,"_ she replied, shooting him a dark look. "Let's keep going."

As she spoke, her shadow rose up and took shape, becoming almost humanoid in appearance with long ears and a predatory tail. Rika simply nodded to it and just like that it was gone. Takato stared at where it had been with wide eyes.

"What…is that thing?" he asked after a moment. Rika smirked.

"Our scout and my protection," she replied.

"I kind of got that when it attacked me earlier. I mean, _what_ is it? I've never seen anything like that before."

"You've never seen your own shadow before?"

"Very funny," Takato huffed. "You're avoiding the question, aren't you?"

Rika's eyes flashed as she turned to look at him. "You have your 'visions' or whatever it is that made you appear right in front of me while you were asleep. This is _my_ power. My first one. That's all there is to her."

"Her?"

Takato saw a ripple off to the side just as Rika raised an arm, and her shadow returned to her. The shaman closed her eyes as they darkened.

"The outer walls seem to be fine," she said. "There are citizens entering and leaving."

"There's…no trouble?" Takato placed a hand over his chin, scratching it in confusion. "Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I was only seeing things."

"I wouldn't count on you just 'seeing things' if you have visions," Rika said, reopening her eyes to reveal their normal, purple irises. "We'd better head inside and make sure things are more than what they appear to be." She then added, almost as an afterthought, "You might want to be careful about what you say and do. We'll be…dealing with royals. They may not take kindly to a foreigner, especially one like you."

"I'll keep it in mind," Takato nodded.

###

Impmon's body had just finished collapsing back down into his Rookie form as a slash of violet energy cut apart the tentacles that held him bound. A purple-gloved hand caught him and pulled him close to a jet-black body suit covered in golden armor. He didn't need to know who it was that pulled him out of the fire this time.

"Hey Fox-face," he wheezed, trying to grin and failing as he fell into a coughing fit.

"Hang in there Impmon," Sakuyamon said, slicing her staff through the air and sending streams of crystal shards flying through the air, cutting apart the Reaper-like entity as it attempted to capture her. Not one of them could even come close and the Reaper fell back, screeching in pain as red fluid poured from its injuries. Unable to protect itself, it all but collapsed into a bleeding heap.

 _"Let's finish this thing!"_ Rika shouted from within her azure sphere of light. _"Amethyst Mandala!"_

Striking the ground with her staff, a spherical barrier formed around her that immediately began to spread outward. It engulfed the Reaper, destroying its body and dissolving it into shining particles. Breathing a sigh of relief she looked down at Impmon, shifting her grip on him so as to more carefully hold him.

"Are you all right?" she asked. Impmon coughed but gave her a thumbs up.

"I've felt better. Dis is like déjà vu all over again."

"We'll get you fixed up as soon as we get a hold of Kenta and MarineAngemon," Sakuyamon promised, her mouth becoming a bit hard. "Is everyone else okay?" She cast her gaze about, settling on Ai, Takato, and the other version of herself, who was watching her with wide eyes. "Takato?"

"Oh, we're fine," the goggle-wearing boy said. "But…um…" He glanced at Ai and a thought occurred to him. "Ai? Where's…"

"Mako and Calumon are hurt!" the little girl shouted, tears in her eyes. Breaking into a run, she rushed over to where her brother, now sitting up, and the little white digimon were on the ground. Sakuyamon moved over to them, dropping down next to them and looking them over carefully.

"They…seem okay," the shaman digimon said uncertainly. "How do you feel, Mako?"

"Like I do when Ai and I used to fight," the boy grumbled. He looked over at Calumon and his lower lip trembled. Calumon was so still and quiet. His body was a mess of scratches. "Is he…?"

While all this was going on, 'Rika' watched with confusion. Something was wrong, but she couldn't tell what. Looking at Takato she found him, much to her surprise, already dashing toward the group.

 _Takato…_ Takato the knight of Hypnos, always ready to lend aid, even when he was broken inside.

"Ugh…" One hand went to her head as she felt a twinge of pain lance through her skull. There was a spark of electricity around her vision and, for an instant, as she watched Takato, she saw him change. She saw… _A blue shirt?_ The vision ended almost as soon as it came, and with it the pain. Shaking her head, she quickly followed him.

"I don't know." She heard Sakuyamon say as shook her head. "I'll…"

"Let me help."

Turning in the direction of the voice, Sakuyamon found the copy of her human half dropping down next to her, hands glowing blue as she reached out and placed them on both Impmon and Calumon. The blue light flowed from her hands and into their bodies, causing the their injuries to first recede and then vanish.

"Calu…?" With a moan, Calumon's eyes opened and he looked up at everyone gathered around him. Impmon looked at himself with an expression that denoted surprise and glee.

"Not bad, fire-head," Impmon grinned. "Not bad at all. I feel like a million yen!"

"Yen?" the girl asked as Sakuyamon stood up and placed Impmon down on the ground.

"Never mind, toots." Impmon looked up at Sakuyamon. "So, someone care to explain to me why we've got a double of a certain redhead running around?"

"We've all got questions," Sakuyamon said, standing up. The other Rika backed away warily, her shadow quivering.

 _Powerful…_ she thought. _And tall._ She could sense the raw, still-as-yet untapped strength that lay beneath the surface of this…shaman. What was she? Earlier she saw a girl that looked similar to her—excluding her bizarre hairstyle—merge with the demon fox from earlier. She never saw anything like that before, and that demon fox…

Sakuyamon raised a hand. "There is someone you should meet," she said. "Maybe from there we can start getting answers to our questions."

Rika glanced over at Takato and as soon as she did that pain was back. Electricity crackled over her body and once more something happened to her vision. Takato's face swam and…something appeared on top of his forehead. Something yellow was strapped to it that looked almost like eyes. His clothes however looked nothing like she had seen before. Nothing that she saw him wearing earlier.

Electricity sparked around her again and her sight of him changed again. White with a red cape, and the… _things_ on his head were gone.

"Takato…?" she whispered, realizing that everyone had backed up from her. "You… _are_ Takato, right?"

The boy looked back and forth between this version of Rika and Sakuyamon, wondering how best to answer.

"Um…last I checked…"

"Look," interrupted Sakuyamon. "It's complicated, and you _clearly_ have a problem. We need to get you out of here and…"

 _"No!"_ the Rika clone interrupted fiercely, shooting the shaman digimon a glare. "Above all else this is something I have to know. I need to know." She turned back to Takato, her eyes set determinedly. "Never mind. I know how to get my answer."

Striding up to the Tamer she took hold of him by the back of his neck.

"Hey!" Takato exclaimed, starting to resist. Rika's strength turned out to be much greater than his and she cut off all further protests by crushing her lips against his. Takato's eyes went wide with shock as Rika held him there, an expression shared by Impmon. The Tamer tried to push her off, but she pressed forward. Electricity leapt up and began dancing between them, causing Takato's eyes to roll up in their sockets as his body tensed up.

 _"Get off of him!"_ Rika shouted from within her data sphere as she outwardly threw Sakuyamon at the pair. Snatching her duplicate up by the back of her kimono she broke them apart and caught Takato just as he started to fall. The boy coughed and gasped for breath as he shook all over from muscle spasms. Seething with rage she turned a baleful look at her double as she righted herself.

"If you've hurt him…" she began, only to stop when something about her double caught her eye. A single, solitary tear traced a path down her cheek. Looking at her eyes, she saw pain that ran deeper than anything physical. The girl, touching her mouth to her lips straightened and tightened her grip on her staff.

"That's not him," she said firmly before abruptly leaping into the air.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A Story for Suzie

Chapter: 14

 _"She's gone,"_ Sakuyamon said in Rika's voice, floating in midair above the playground, scanning her surroundings. Try as she might, she couldn't detect her duplicate even with the enhanced senses that Renamon's Mega form bestowed upon her. _"Either she's very good at hiding or she's gone back to wherever she came from."_

 _"Whatever they are, they seem to have the ability to avoid detection,"_ she heard Renamon say from the darkness surrounding her data sphere. _"I feel that it's safe to say that your double is still in Shinjuku, but without a more thorough search we're going to have a hard time finding her or any others like her."_

 _"So…back to Hypnos I guess,"_ Rika said, agreeing with her partner. With that, Sakuyamon floated down to where the others were and immediately went over to where Takato sat and placed a gloved hand on his shoulder. "Are you all right?" she asked, this time in the dual voices of the Tamer and digimon that composed her form. Takato turned toward her and she grimaced. The tremors from earlier were gone, but the boy looked pale and badly drained.

"Well…I don't think I need to go back to the hospital again," he replied with a strained, humorous smile. From within her data sphere, Rika laughed with a relieved tone, but she still fixed him with a glare.

 _"This isn't the time to be joking about that sort of thing,"_ she scolded. _"Do you need help?"_

"Nah." Takato shook his head and, wobbling slightly, got back to his feet. Sakuyamon kept a firm hand on his shoulder in case he did fall, but seeing that he remained steady once he was fully standing, she let go and stood back. Relaxing her hold on her Mega form, Sakuyamon glowed and parted, reforming into Rika and Renamon. The girl's hand returned to Takato's shoulder though, and she gave it a soft, comforting squeeze before letting go upon seeing Calumon approaching them, ears spread wide to help him float.

"Are you guys going to go to Hypnos?" he asked. "Impmon wants me to go get the others."

Rika exchanged a glance with Takato, and the boy nodded.

"We might as well. We're probably going to get called there anyway."

"Okay!" Calumon saluted—or saluted as best he could given how short his arms were—before immediately darting away. "We'll see you there!"

"He's a weird one," Rika observed with amusement.

"Yeah, but he's not bad," Takato laughed lightly.

"So what the heck was that all about?" Impmon said, hands on his hips as he approached the pair with Ai, Mako behind him. "That copy have the hots for you or something?" Grinning devilishly, Impmon gave Takato an amused look. "I mean, aside from what happened at the end there, she sure seemed to take a real shine to you."

"She probably _has a shine_ for the copy of Takato that's sitting in Hypnos right now," Rika replied just as Takato was quickly shaking his head no in response, hoping no one would notice the blush on his face.

"Huh?" both Impmon and Takato asked in unison, looking over at the red-haired girl as she lifted her hair and began to tie it back up into its traditional ponytail. For some reason it always came undone whenever she and Renamon biomerged.

"There was an attack at Rika's school by an…unknown creature," answered Renamon. _"You,"_ Renamon pointed at Takato for emphasis, "arrived before further damage could be done."

"Handled it pretty well too, I might add," Rika added grudgingly.

"But I wasn't…" Takato halted, remembering what Rika said earlier. "Oh…"

"Since your brains were scrambled, I'll let that near Goggleheaded moment go." Rika gave him a small smile as she put the finishing touches on her ponytail and dropped her arms. "Are you sure you're okay to travel?"

"Relax already, toots," Impmon said, his arms behind his head. "You're starting to sound like a mother hen or somethin'. I dunno about you, but I'm pretty sure your _boyfriend_ can handle himself." Impmon flashed the pair a devilish grin for added emphasis, basking in the sudden redness that bloomed to life on both Rika's face and deepened on Takato's.

"Wha…Wha…?!"

"Boyfriend?! What are you…?"

"What?" Impmon interrupted casually. "I got my brains scrambled too by that D-Reaper knockoff. Aren't you going to let my Impmon moment go too? I mean, I was literally seein' double earlier. Kind of hard to tell you apart."

Rika folded her arms across her chest and glared at the diminutive digimon, obviously not believing his excuse for a minute. Scratching the back of his head, Takato coughed politely, opting to quickly change the subject.

"U-Um… Anyway, about scrambled brains… I…I think there was something more to what the other Rika did to me when she…ah…" Takato's face grew even redder as Rika, Renamon, and Impmon all turned toward him, but he pushed through, forcing the words out in one mad tumble. "I think I saw the world she's from!"

That got everyone's attention. Now on ground that Takato felt more comfortable with, he began to explain what he saw.

"I saw a city," he began, looking down at his hands thoughtfully for a moment, "and it looked like something out of a storybook…"

###

The walls to the city were massive, leaving Takato to marvel at them. But they were so much more than that. They had an ornate beauty to them with curving lines that stretched around the gates like vines and snaked off in all directions. They were completely unlike anything he was familiar with. Hypnos didn't build beautiful things, but then the organization lacked the luxury to craft them. Touching his sword was a faint reminder of that. Everything Hypnos made for the war against the Reaper was at its most basic: that is to say, functional. There were to be none of the trappings of ornamentation. The shield? An ancient device from another time and another empire, one that he stumbled upon during a retreat following a battle gone bad. And his red cloak…

He resisted the urge to tug at its edges as they approached the gate. He distracted himself by returning his attention back to the mission at hand and focused on the passersby. Many were chatting happily, focused on their day-to-day musings of nothings and somethings.

 _They…don't look like a people who are under siege._ Takato furrowed his brow as he eyed them quizzically. It was most puzzling. In his homelands violence always followed in the wake of the Reaper wherever it went. One couldn't even trust its own dead to be peaceful. Or, for that matter, the dead of allies and loved ones.

Takato found himself clenching his sword hilt with a vice-like grip. Releasing it he shook his hand, relaxing the muscles.

 _Can't hold it too tight,_ he thought, remembering the lessons of his sword instructor. He wondered how the beast of a man was doing. He hoped at least well.

Nearing the gate, one of the guards turned toward them and hefted his spear, looking them over carefully. His gaze brushed over Rika but stayed on Takato.

"Welcome back Milady," the guard greeted, returning his attention to the red-haired girl. Takato felt his eyebrows raise a little at that.

 _Milady?_ He knew that she was a shaman, but the tone of respect in his voice indicated something far more.

"Motomiya," the girl greeted with a curt nod. "I have returned from my journey. I need to see…the Queen as soon as possible. I have news she needs to hear."

"Of course," the guard replied with a respectful bow of his head. "I'm sure your mother will be glad to hear that you have returned."

Takato's eyes widened almost to the size of saucers. _"Queen?!"_ he choked, his head snapping over in her direction. She gave him a hard look and he immediately shut his mouth. His mind however continued where he left off. _Her mother is the queen of this country?! That makes her… Oh gods… And I struck her hand!_

Takato found himself looking up at the heavens, waiting for a lightning bolt to be cast from the clouds and strike him dead for his affront. A Knight of Hypnos was to ever be careful about their actions as they were sworn to protect those around them, but those favored by the divine? The gods would not look kindly on what he did even if it was to protect her. They were certain to make him pay for his actions.

So caught up was he in his thoughts that he missed Rika trying to get his attention.

"Fool," she growled, finally having had enough. She grabbed him by the hem of his cloak and promptly started to drag him forward, much to his squawking surprise. "Come along."

"Uh…" began Motomiya uncertainly. "This…person is with you?"

"Of course he is!" Rika snapped, brushing past him. "You saw him arrive with me, didn't you? Now let us through, and don't bother his horse!"

Motomiya looked to his right to see a shiny, red-scaled animal that looked something like a horse with unnerving golden eyes. Guilmon glanced back and forth between the guard and the pair as they passed the gate and then ducked his head down, snorting. To Motomiya it almost appeared that the horse was both shrugging and chortling at the scene. Motomiya gave the stranger a subtle salute with his spear.

 _I don't know where she found you, but may the gods have pity on your soul,_ he couldn't help but think with some measure of sympathy.

Once the Princess of the Kingdom of Makino caught something, it was very rare that she ever let it go.

###

Gold and silver scrawled the image of a castle on the blank sheet of paper. In front of it were a mess of black stick figures, two of which had a touch of red—one for hair and the other for the flowing cape behind it. The red crayon fell on the pad as Suzie swayed in bed, her vision swimming a little. She looked over at Lopmon, who was currently curled up on the edge of the bed, resting, having nodded off along with Suzie some time ago. The girl woke up just recently with an overpowering urge to go back and draw the story that continued to weigh heavily on her mind. Weigh so much it was almost as though it incorporated the fever that even now racked her body, leaving her dizzy. She knew she should be resting but the urge became overpowering, so much so that it became like a _need,_ much like breathing. She had to get it out of her head before it burned her up.

Taking hold of the glass of water by her nightstand she took a long, deep drink. Once satisfied she withdrew the glass with a satisfied gasp.

"That hit the spot!" she chirped cheerfully. Yes, she could already feel the fever dying back now; only a little but that made all the difference. Replacing the glass on her nightstand, her bladder made itself known about a need of its own, one that demanded complete and total attention that, under no certain circumstances would not be ignored. Not if one didn't want trouble.

"I've got to go to the bathroom," she mumbled to herself. Pushing back the blankets, she touched her feet down on the floor and, after making sure she wouldn't fall or anything, she headed toward the bedroom door and pulled it open. Disappearing down the hallway, she failed to notice the beeping of her pink-trimmed digivice from its spot near her pillow. The screen glowed brightly for a moment before returning to darkness.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A Story for Suzie

Chapter: 15

Her head hurt again.

Her bronze staff clattering to the ground, the shaman clutched at the sides of her skull, clenching her teeth. After what felt like an eternity, the pain began to subside and she breathed shakily, calming herself and clearing her mind. Crossing her arms over her chest, a blue light surrounded her and the residual pain began to wash away.

 _One of the problems with the healing talent,_ she thought, remembering her lessons, _is that using it on yourself depends on your ability to concentrate. If you can't…_ She dropped her arms and the light vanished. _I don't get it. I can only relieve the pain but I can't figure out what's wrong with me._

Picking her staff back up, she thought back to earlier to when that boy…the one who looked so very much like Takato…changed in appearance.

_What was that about? And what about that girl? She looked just like me. What have I stumbled into?_

She cast her gaze out over the city and her eye twitched, as though she saw something different, but as yet she couldn't quite place what it was.

Am I under some kind of spell? Is that what's going on? Am I…somehow being prevented from seeing the world around me as it truly is?

She heard a spark, and she clutched at her face as a light burst in front of her vision. She held her hand over one eye for a moment, while the other widened. The city in front of her…tall, gleaming buildings of alien design; metal and glass as far as the eye could see, and flying chariots! The smell…

…and then it was all gone. It all vanished seemingly without a trace.

No. It didn't vanish. She looked around her, noting her environment and referencing it against her memory. A flat rooftop made from an unknown rock. A tall building across from her seemingly built from glass. The sound of strange, honking noises below.

Dropping her hand her expression hardened. She now knew what was going on. A glam was on her eyes that merely allowed her to accept what she saw without thinking about it. It wasn't a good glam either, as it still allowed some things through the perception filter.

 _Before I do anything else, I should get rid of it,_ she thought. _Even if I don't know what kind of world I'm in, it's a problem if I can't be sure if I'm in danger. And I'd rather be in control of my own mind and judge for myself._ Reaching into her pouch, she withdrew a piece of chalk. It was a common tool that, at first glance was nothing special. Used by teachers at schools and first-year students in the magical arts. Yet within it was the potential for far greater things; the basis of all magic, even the most powerful, traced its roots to it.

Kneeling, she set the chalk against the rooftop and began to draw a circle.

As she drew, the thought of her beloved knight drifted through her mind, and she bit her lower lip.

_Takato… I'll find you, wherever you are._

###

After stabling Guilmon, Takato followed Rika through the halls of the castle, doing his best to not be amazed while they headed toward the throne room to seek an audience with the Queen.

Takato swallowed anxiously. _The Queen…_ He resisted the urge to look down at his clothing. Tattered, dirty, and otherwise stained with the rigors of hard travel and combat, Takato was hardly fit for a royal audience with the ruler of a country. Nonetheless, Rika insisted that they meet with her immediately, appearance be damned.

Approaching the throne room, Takato took note of a woman with brown hair and a regal smile on her face standing in front of the doors. Her eyes were of a striking violet, much like Rika's, only in place of her blazing spirit, they were tempered by the wisdom that comes with age and experience.

 _Is that the Queen?_ he wondered as they drew near. The woman's eyes slid over him, before focusing on Rika.

"Welcome home dear," she greeted in a warm, loving tone. "I take it that your 'mission' went well?"

Takato furrowed his brow slightly, having caught the emphasis on the word _mission._

"It was…interesting," Rika replied, hefting her staff. "Is mother in there?"

 _So that's not the Queen?_ Takato felt a bit surprised by this. She carried herself with enough majesty. _Maybe I was wrong. The eye color is right but the hair…_

"She's holding court right now, yes," the woman replied. "Now might not be a good time to go in there. Since you've left there have been some incidents."

"There are always some incidents," Rika said with bitter force. A thoughtful expression passed over her face though and she resumed in a more formal tone. "What kind?"

"One that involves an attempt on your mother's life."

"Assassination?" Takato asked, piping up. "Did the attacker…? Did they have any unusual abilities?"

The woman turned toward Takato, appraising him. After a moment, her eyes widened slightly.

"He's a Knight of Hypnos," said Rika. "I met him in the field. He has information about the recent attacks on our city. Their war might be related to this."

The woman continued to look Takato over, this time with a more scrutinizing eye than before, leaving Takato with the itch to squirm, feeling as though she were peeling him apart. To his credit though he kept still and didn't flinch.

"Yes, he certainly _looks_ like he's from the north," she said finally, returning her attention to Rika. Takato found himself letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "I imagine he'll be an excellent bodyguard for you."

Rika stiffened. "I don't need his help."

"An ally then," the woman smiled. "It might be a good idea to retain his services. I have heard that Knights of Hypnos are quite honorable. With the current political climate I would feel better if you had him by your side."

"Are things that bad?" Rika asked, tilting her head to one side.

"They could be worse. I'd rather that you do so for my peace of mind." She looked over at Takato and smiled apologetically. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's terrible of me to be saying this without asking you first…"

"No, it's all right," Takato replied with a goofy smile that made Rika's lip curl in slight disgust. "This is what I do. And since there's a chance that whatever is going on here is related to Rika's mission and…what I experienced up north, I'll do my duty." He glanced at Rika apprehensively. "That is, if she'll have me."

Rika was silent for one long moment before she turned toward the doors.

"If it will make you feel better," she replied gruffly, though whether she spoke to the woman or to him, Takato couldn't be sure.

"Now that that is settled," the woman said, taking Takato's hand into her own. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Seiko of the House of Hata, the previous queen of the Kingdom of Makino."

"The _previous…!"_ Takato gaped. "But…But… You're so you…" Takato clamped his mouth shut on the word _young,_ earning him a sharp glare from Rika. Seiko, for her part, gave a light laugh.

"Such a kind young man you found," she smiled. Her eyes softened a little. "It's a pity."

"Huh? What is?"

"Nothing. I shall have the servants have Rika's room made ready for you, since you are to protect her. Is that all right dear?" she asked Rika.

"As long as he doesn't get any funny ideas," she replied, still not sold on the _bodyguard_ idea.

"Oh, trust me," Takato laughed, rubbing the back of his head with a nervous twitter to his words. "I wouldn't dream of it."

That caused Rika's eyes to narrow to razor-thin slits and the boy instantly regretted his choice of words.

"Aaand…insert foot…" he coughed, blushing lightly. Seiko raised an eyebrow.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Just a saying from up north. It's nothing."

"Well, I wish you the best of luck." She squeezed down on Takato's hand and the youth felt a small tingle cross his palm. "I hope to see you again."

Releasing her grip on his hand and turned to depart. Glancing at his hand where he felt the odd tingle, he saw writing on his palm, written clearly in the language of the north.

 _Stay near her,_ the message said before vanishing.

"Everything all right?" Rika asked, jolting him out of his reverie.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! I was just thinking… Um…your grandmother seems nice." Takato gave Rika a quirky, lopsided grin. Rika _harrumphed_ and turned back toward the door.

"She's the only person here who has an ounce of sense in them," she replied. Placing her hands on the doors before Takato could say anything else, she pushed them open and strode into the court. Takato quickly fell into step behind her. As he strode in her shadow he took a quick gander around him, noting the nobility as all eyes turned toward them. One of them in particular, a youth around his age with brown hair and blue eyes that radiated confidence. His gaze followed Takato as he walked by, leaving him with the odd feeling that he had seen him somewhere before, but for the life of him he could not remember where or when. Shrugging it off, he continued on.

 _There's…not as many noblemen or women as I thought there would be,_ he thought, taking in each and every one of them as he passed them by. _About a dozen so far._ He changed his attention over to the armed and armored soldiers with swords girded to their waists. _A lot of guardsmen and commanders though. I wonder if this is because of the assassination…_

Takato shrugged mentally before turning his attention toward the front of the room. He felt his breath catch in his throat at the coppery-haired beauty that sat upon the throne, gripping a golden scepter, commanding the courtroom with her presence. She had quite the presence and her eyes, violet like Seiko's and Rika's, were deep and hard. She looked almost displeased to see her daughter.

 _I wonder if I should kneel,_ he wondered as they drew to a halt.

"Rika Nonaka," the Queen nodded in greeting. "I heard you had returned. However, I have not summoned you to stand before the throne."

"This couldn't wait, mother," Rika said, stepping to the side to reveal Takato. "I have brought someone who has information about the last attack on our city."

"Rika," the Queen interrupted. "We unfortunately have more pressing matters than the simple, wild monsters that you went chasing after."

Takato went rigid at that and felt his blood pulse in his head. He remembered Rika's advice to be careful of what he said in these halls, but he found that he could _not_ let what the Queen said pass without comment.

"Uh…beg your pardon your majesty," he began before Rika could protest further, raising a hand. He found himself struggling a little to keep his voice even. "This is much, _much_ more than just simple, wild monsters."

"Impertinence…" he heard someone mutter off to the side. Takato tightened his grip on his sword. "What is he, a brush knight?"

"I did not give you leave to speak," the Queen said, narrowing her eyes down at him. "I do not know who you are or what my daughter has told you, but I would ask you to not…"

"Wasn't your city attacked by a monster with green armor and a horn? I…"

"Silence!"

The Queen banged her scepter on her throne and true to her command, quiet reigned, but only for a moment as the blue-eyed youth stepped forth from the side.

"My Queen," he began and at once Takato felt the casual confidence in his tone, almost as though he wore it as readily as he did his own cloak. "Forgive me, but I think it might be a good idea to hear him out. He's a Hypnos Knight from the north."

The Queen pressed her lips together into one thin line before sighing. "Everyone out," she said. "Everyone except my daughter and her companion…and _you_ Ryo. I don't think this impromptu meeting should occur without your insight."

Ryo…? Ryo… Where… That names familiar. Where have I heard it before?

"My lady…" began one of the guardsmen, but the Queen waved him off. "I said everyone except those I have named. Now, _out!"_

With that, the guards, commanders, and nobility began to file out of the throne room, many of whom cast looks in Takato's direction. He did his best to ignore them. He had more important things to be concerned about at the moment.

Finally, as the doors slammed shut, leaving them alone, the Queen rose from her throne and descended toward the three below.

"My daughter," she began. "I do hope that you have an explanation for your behavior."

"I thought it was pretty straight forward," Rika replied coolly as Ryo drew up between her and Takato, nodding to the knight. Takato nodded back cautiously.

"A mere letter! You left in the middle of the night and went into danger!"

"Because I _knew_ you would forbid me from heading out to solve the situation!" Like I'm _supposed_ to!

 _"You_ are the heir to the throne! You have no right to decide for yourself when you have the kingdom—its future and the greater good—to think about!"

"I _don't…"_ Halting herself, Rika visibly restrained herself from continuing with whatever she was about to say, and with an effort, turned the subject to what her original purpose. "The knight I brought with me…"

"Yes, the so-called _Hypnos Knight."_ The Queen turned toward Takato with a baleful expression. "The one who felt that it was within his right to speak out of turn and interrupt my council."

"I…" began Takato, feeling a little bit angry now, but the motion of Ryo's hand as it drifted to his sword hilt drew him up short. Looking at the other youth, Takato saw that he was being gauged. The youth shook his head, as if to tell him to backpedal with his temper.

"Queen Rumiko," Ryo began, taking up the thread of conversation. "I can vouch for the Order of Hypnos. One of their number would not be here or even interrupt a court that was in session if there wasn't good reason for it. You'll have to forgive this one, but they raise their warriors to have a strong sense for the safety and wellbeing of those under their protection."

 _"We_ are under their protection?" Rumiko said with an accusatory note in her voice. _"We_ are not subject to your people, knight!"

"It's…not like that," Takato said carefully.

"It's not," confirmed Ryo, standing closer to him, his hand drifting away from his sword. "I've served with them before." Takato looked at the youth in shock, but Ryo continued speaking to the Queen, taking no notice. "They considered it a sacred duty to safeguard and help others, even if they aren't related to them politically. Even those who break away from them and become errant continue to do so. They desire to prevent the loss of life wherever possible."

"Mother," began Rika. "He has sworn an oath to aid me. Through me he protects your kingdom. He knows the creature that attacked our city. What's more, he knows how dangerous it is. He fears that there is a hidden danger that is taking root in our city because of it coming here." She tilted her head to one side. "Grandmother has mentioned an attempt was made on your life while I was away…"

Rumiko turned away and ascended a step on the throne before looking back.

"Ryo… You vouch for this young man?"

"I vouch for the Order of Hypnos," Ryo replied. "Much as I would like to, I can't say the same for this one wearing their colors. Even so, we should hear him out."

Rumiko turned toward Takato and gave him a long appraisal before resuming her ascent back to her throne and seating herself in it.

"Very well… Tell your tale, and we shall decide what merit it has."

Ryo gave Takato a hidden grin and stepped aside with a grand sweep of his arm, as if to say, _the floor is yours._ Swallowing, his mind awhirl with questions, he approached the throne and began his story.

"It all started with a red seed…"


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A Story for Suzie

Chapter: 16

"…and that's my tale," Takato concluded. His mouth felt dry and stuffed with cotton and he bit his tongue to get some saliva working again. His heart, which had begun running a race with his lips, began to settle down, but only slightly. In the past his tutors complimented him on his prowess with the sword, but when it came to words he was hopeless. Try as he might, he found himself far more able to dance death in battle than he ever could with the simple act of speaking. He hoped that at least he would be done with speeches for a time, though he knew that was unlikely to be the case.

His luck simply did not run that way.

Rumiko sat on her throne, digesting what the knight said. Finally, after what felt like an eternity under her scrutinizing gaze, she waved a dismissive hand at him.

"Rika, take him away and find lodgings for him while I consider his words. Detail whatever servants you have to for the task. It would appear that he is staying with us for the time being."

Takato felt his heart quicken its pace once more, but this time to the entirely different beat of exhilaration. _Yes!_ he cried out mentally. Of course he recognized that this didn't mean she believed him, but it was a foot in the door. His time spent fighting taught him that often a foot in the door could carry one a great deal.

"Grandmother has already seen to the arrangements," Rika said, earning a raised eyebrow at this unexpected development. "She met us by chance as we were arriving," Rika added.

"I may have to have a little _chat_ with my mother it seems," Rumiko muttered before continuing in a louder voice. "Very well. Sir Takato. You understand your duties I believe, as you have _outlined_ them, and as Rika has taken you into her service without consulting me," she gave her daughter a sharp glare that the girl didn't so much as flinch from, "it would appear that I have no choice but to accept it. Nonetheless, you won't be the _only_ one ensuring her safety during this time of crisis. Be warned. Your conduct will be reported to me and if I find _anything_ untoward in your behavior or lacking in your duties…"

"By my honor, I swear that I won't let you down, my lady," Takato said with a determined expression on his face.

"Very well. You are dismissed. " With that, Rumiko turned to Ryo. "I need you to stay for a bit longer. There are some things that I would like to discuss with you."

Ryo nodded politely, and with nothing further to be said, Rika spun on her heels.

"Come, knight," she said, brushing past him. Takato, somewhat flummoxed, bowed deeply before following right behind the shaman, exiting the throne room. Alone, Rumiko turned back to Ryo.

"I will have to apologize to your father that your visit is not turning out the way he hoped it would. My daughter is… _very_ headstrong."

"My father's opinion shouldn't matter in this," Ryo said, grinning. "He knew what he was getting into in advance, and the kingdom has always done well under the line of Queens. Rika will make a fine heir, I'm certain of that."

Rumiko eyed the youth with a smirk. "You butter your words well. No wonder she is always guarded around you."

Ryo's grin softened. "You know, as heir to the Millenium Empire, it is within my power to maintain the alliance. We don't need…"

"That is _not_ how your father sees it," Rumiko snapped, interrupting him. "I'm sorry," she apologized a split second later, "but he is the one sitting on the throne for the moment, not you. For all your accomplishments—however legendary—whatever power you have is ultimately subject to his will. The treaty will be fulfilled as ordained, and the union between our two peoples will be made all the stronger for it."

Ryo frowned slightly, not agreeing, but submitting all the same. Kings and Queens, for all their power, seemed unwilling to use it at times even when offered a way out.

"Now…about our _Hypnos Knight_ …" Rumiko began, changing the subject. "Be honest. Do you really think he is what he says he is?"

"He isn't the usual kind of knight that I've encountered from the order," Ryo admitted. "He seems like he was pulled from the lower classes, which isn't normal. But I have heard whisperings of their war in the north. Things were bad. It could be that they were drafting from whatever they could in order to win. This Takato could be one such person, although…" Ryo drifted off, seeming confused by something.

"Although?" Rumiko prompted.

"Well, the red cloak is a bit odd. It's not the standard attire for low ranking foot soldiers. The clasp on his belt and cloak…did you see it? The triangle broken into four parts? That's a high ranking symbol. He's a captain if I remember their rank insignias correctly. He doesn't act like one though."

"As you said, you heard things were terrible." A dark look crossed Rumiko's features. "Do you think that he's a deserter?"

Ryo almost looked offended at the notion. "Hypnos knights go errant, but they don't desert in times of war. I was there when they fought the Flaming Sovereign Phoenix that rose in the South. Unless ordered, they'll die to the last man and woman before they desert their companions. Besides," Ryo's blue eyes became contemplative, "I saw the look in his eyes. He's determined. He has the look of someone who wants to prevent a tragedy. I doubt Rika would have kept him by her side if she thought he was a coward who left others to die."

Rumiko's expression lightened, but she remained thoughtful. "He is hiding something though. That bit at the end of his story…the final battle… He seemed awfully light on details."

"He was," Ryo nodded in agreement, though inwardly he didn't feel he could blame Takato. Determination wasn't the only thing he saw in his eyes. There was also a pain that ran deep to the very core of his being. "I'll keep an eye on him and see what he does."

Rumiko raised an eyebrow. "That isn't necessary. I have plenty of men to draw from for the task."

"Rika is the heiress to the kingdom," said Ryo, folding his arms over his chest. "It's my responsibility to see that she comes to no harm."

Rumiko looked at him worriedly, but nodded reluctantly. After all, she couldn't ask for anyone better than Ryo Akiyama, Vanguard of Destiny and Heir to the Millenium Empire.

"Well said," she acknowledged. "You'll make an excellent King."

"At your leave, your majesty," Ryo bowed before being dismissed.

###

Rika and Takato found the door to her room open as the servants busied themselves with preparing it for her 'guest'.

"Welcome home, Princess," one of them greeted, flashing the pair a quick smile. "Your grandmother gave us orders to…"

"I'm aware," Rika interrupted with a slight raising of her hand. "How far along are you?"

"I believe all that's left is the good gentleman in question." The servant's eyes flickered over to Takato, appraising his attire. "Are you…?"

"Uh…yeah! I'm Takato!" he responded, pointing at himself awkwardly. "Bodyguard and Knight of Hypnos."

"Very nice to meet you, sir knight," the servant curtsied. "I'm sure you are tired from your long journey. We have some fresh clothes ready for you inside. If you would like, we can prepare a bath for you as well."

"Ah…" began Takato, uncertain of what to say. His duties guarding Rika began as soon as he swore his oath to her, and with her grandmother's warning still fresh in his mind he didn't want to leave her alone for even a second until the crisis was over.

"Prepare a bath for the both of us," Rika said, entering the room. Takato felt a sharp blush set his face afire and his eyes widened just a bit.

"T-That's not necess…"

"We have _both_ spent considerable time out in the wilderness, Brush Knight," she said, and Takato squirmed at the unexpected insult. "A bath would do us good, and since my family insists that you be my bodyguard in all things, I won't see you strung up and quartered because you're _too modest._ Is that clear?"

Takato exchanged a look with the servant, who merely gave him a sympathetic shrug.

 _What have I gotten myself into?_ he wondered, feeling as though he had a headsman's axe positioned over his neck.

###

 _I still don't think this is a good idea,_ thought Takato as he followed Rika into the bath, where they were greeted by a single, large, steaming tub with servants finishing pouring the last jugs of heated water. Giving a respectful nod to the pair, the servants quickly filed out and at once Rika began to disrobe, causing her blushing Knight to spin around in an effort to protect her dignity and keep his own face from bursting into flames.

"The servants will be in to take your clothes," Rika said, noticing his lack of disrobing. She smirked slightly at his painfully obvious discomfort. "Are you going to give them an excuse to take them off you instead?"

"I…" Takato coughed. "I'd feel better if I washed after you."

Rika resisted the urge to role her eyes at him. She had heard of northerners and their culture of modesty. Not that the Makino kingdom or the Millenium Empire weren't themselves, but when it came to bathing it wasn't a problem. They had public baths after all, some of which were mixed.

"Suit yourself," she replied, dipping into the tub and sitting down. "It would be faster though."

"With…With all due respect my lady, it's…it's just safer this way. If we were attacked and neither one of us was ready…"

"I am _always_ ready," Rika said, taking up the soap and beginning to scrub along her skin. "But I see your point with you. Or…are you?" She raised her violet eyes at him thoughtfully. "You know magic, don't you? That lightning trick from earlier… Or does that come from the same place as your visions?"

"I…don't know." Rika noticed that his expression became perplexed as he thought about it. "The lightning just sort of came to me one day when my village was attacked. Leo…the man who trained me…saw it and took me under his wing. He was sort of like me, but…different. He said he and I were like some kind of guardian but he never said more than that, and I never had much of a chance to ask."

"Is he dead?"

"Huh? No! I mean…" Takato rubbed the back of his head. "It's just…just the regular training took up so much of my time that I didn't think much about it. He couldn't teach me much about how to control it anyway. He said he knew someone who could probably tell me more, but it would have to wait after the war was over."

"You didn't go with him," Rika noted, a statement, not a question.

"No…" Takato said. "No I didn't."

"Why?"

Takato shifted uncomfortably. "I…" he began, but stopped, uncertain whether or not he should say more. Rika watched him for a moment, raising her leg a little to get underneath it before dipping it back down. As she repeated the act with the other leg, she mouthed a small incantation, casting a spell over her eyes. At once his aura flickered into existence around him. It was thin, and on the surface appeared calm, but a closer inspection revealed what she could only describe as 'troubled waters'.

 _I don't need this spell to know that there's something he doesn't want to talk about,_ she thought to herself. She hoped to get something more from the glam, but for some reason she wasn't getting much from Takato. Either he played his cards just that close to the chest or he was open enough about himself that what she saw was all there was to see about him.

Dunking her head beneath the water, she found that she didn't think it was the latter.

 _His story was a little…lacking at the end there,_ she thought, dismissing her spell. _Mother must have noticed it and I'm pretty sure Ryo noticed it too. But why? You would think any information would be useful._

Finishing her washing, she rose from the tub and garbed herself in a towel, drying herself off. She watched Takato out of the corner of her eye, finding herself…surprisingly pleased that he continued to respect her privacy. She smirked, picking up her clean robe. She was tempted to toy with him a little and tell him it was all right to turn around, sorely tempted if only to see his flaming face and the bout of stammering that was sure to follow. In spite of his desire to not discuss certain things, he was so transparent and open that she found herself reading him like an open book. He…

She blinked as a thought occurred to her. _Didn't he say that Reapers could pretend to be like someone else? Even take them over?_

The thought took root and suddenly her humor was gone. Closing up her robe she picked up the remainder of her belongings and stepped to the side. "It's your turn," she said, sitting herself down.

As Takato did with her, she decided to respect his privacy as he disrobed and bathed. However, there was one moment where, in the midst of his undressing, she spied a rather nasty trio of claw-like scars that ran the length of his back. Although she was well aware that soldiers were often injured in war and she didn't expect Takato to be any different, she couldn't help but wonder what could have happened where he allowed an enemy to get _that_ close to him.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A Story for Suzie

Chapter: 17

Ryo Akiyama stepped into the stable and took a look around. He smelled the familiar scent of hay and horse dung, a strangely calming combination, and quickly located the stall he was looking for. Approaching it, he heard a snort from the other end. Peering inside, his eyebrows rose and he grinned.

"You're a unique one, aren't you?" he asked Takato's horse, Guilmon. He shone with a rusty color, an unusual combination of scales and fur, and a pair of horns sprouted from behind his ears. He was far and away unlike any horse he had seen in his life, and he wondered what sort of adventures Takato could have had to acquire such a beast. Seeing the prince, the horse tossed his head at him, leaving Ryo with the queer feeling that his rhetorical question was being answered. Opening the stall, he stepped inside. Guilmon stamped his feet, but otherwise made no threatening moves toward him, allowing Ryo to approach him and lay his hands on the animal's body, stroking it calmly.

"There you go, boy," Ryo whispered. "It's okay. This won't hurt a bit."

Placing one hand on the horse's forehead, Ryo reached inside his shirt and touched a silver medallion with a blue crystal in its center. The crystal glowed slightly and Ryo felt its power begin to course through his veins.

 _"It has been a while, Ryo Akiyama,"_ came a voice from within—the god of the Millenium Empire. _"What is your command?"_

"Time to wake up," Ryo, directing the flow of power at Guilmon, causing the horse to freeze up. "I need to have a look into this animal's memories before I go to its owner directly."

_"As you wish…"_

The blue light grew and Guilmon's eyes rolled up into the back of his head. Ryo raised his head toward the roof, closing his own eyes as he allowed a tumultuous rush of images to surge through his mind. Gritting his teeth, he fought to find order amidst them, finally focusing on the visage of a brown-haired girl with amber eyes. For some reason this memory stood out intensely in the horse's mind, calming the torrent of memory.

Ryo pursued it.

###

Takato resisted the urge to scratch himself as he, Rika, and a man with grey hair—the head of the research division of the Makino kingdom—made their way down the hall of the castle. The clothes weren't his, as those were being washed, but they were clean and exceedingly comfortable and had a nice combination of navy blue and gray. However, they were not of the type that he was used to. Soldier's gear or peasant wool… Those were the things that he lived with all his life. To be here wearing the silks of royalty felt…wrong to him. Descended from knights or not, Takato was always of the lower class, and nothing could convince him otherwise.

He wondered how Guilmon was doing and if he was getting along well with the other horses he was stabled with. Guilmon never had trouble making friends, but now that he was different…

He saw a puff of breath in front of him and he shivered, feeling a slight chill in the air.

"Cold all of a sudden…" he muttered, rubbing his arms together to get the blood flowing.

"We cast a spell over these grounds many years ago," said the man in front of them, Ryuuji Tamashiro. "It lowered the temperature, making it ideal for preserving bodies."

"That sounds neat," Takato grinned, blowing on his hands.

"Not as much as you would think," said Rika, glancing at him over her shoulder. "The magic attracted an ice demon once."

"Which our Queen destroyed," Tamashiro said with a hearty laugh. "Truly she is the seat of the kingdom."

Takato noticed Rika gripping her staff a little more tightly, but before he could comment on it, Tamashiro continued.

"Anyway, we brought the creature you described here for study. We had to hack it up to get it in. _Gods_ was the thing large! Surprisingly clean though."

"The people who handled it… Do you know who they were?"

"Just the lowest class. Mere nobodies whose only purpose is to dig graves, ditches, and to handle bodies."

Takato squirmed a little, feeling uncomfortable at the man's statement. Already he decided that he didn't much like Tamashiro.

"Do you believe there's a chance that they could have been infected?" Rika asked, still watching him out of the corner of her eye. "You said that these…Reapers could turn citizens into creatures just like them."

Takato thought about it for a moment and grimaced. "Probably," he said finally. "I mean, yeah, they can, it's just…" He paused slightly, looking at Tamashiro for a moment before continuing. "…I don't know. Reapers don't have much rhyme or reason to how they go about possessing people."

"It would make sense though," Rika said. "They would be the best opportunity. In our society, people in the lowest classes tend to be ignored. It would be easy to not notice a problem until it's too late."

Tamashiro looked at them with a raised eyebrow; curious about what it was they were talking about, but presently chose not to comment.

"We can look into it," Takato nodded. "I just hope that we don't have to take any…drastic measures."

"What do you mean?"

Takato's mouth set itself into a thin line as he caught Rika's gaze. The girl felt her heart plummet into her stomach at the look in his eyes as once again she found herself reading him with almost frightening ease.

"Things were…that bad, weren't they." Not a question, merely a statement. Takato didn't respond as they reached the end of their journey, but Rika noticed a slight tremor pass through the knight, as though he were forcing away a dark memory.

"Here we are, my lady," Tamashiro said, pushing open the door. "This is the main research area. I believe that they were researching the abdomen today."

Takato and Rika stepped inside and they both grimaced at the grisly sight in front of them. Takato immediately recognized the armored body and he felt his hand stray toward his sword in preparation for a fight.

 _Easy there,_ he told himself, as they circled the corpse warily. _If it was going to do anything, it would have done it long before now. They die like everything else._

He felt himself relax a little and he approached it, taking a look at the gaping hole in its chest cavity. "What…happened here?" he asked, peering inside.

Rika turned to Tamashiro with a questioning eyebrow raised. Coughing, he stepped forward.

"We excavated a heart-like object from it. The damage the creature received from the Queen was extensive with the focus being primarily on the head. We believe that's what took it down. Its internal organs are, I would say, simplified versions of our own with others I'm guessing being rolled into each other to serve dual functions. They still perform well enough from what I can see as the creature lived." Licking his lips, he glanced at Rika before continuing. "Am I to gather that you've fought this creature or others like it in the past? I don't mean to pry but…is that in keeping with what you've experienced?"

"Yeah," Takato replied with a nod. "They go down much like you or me. They're not unkillable. They're just…very hard to kill." He drew back from the corpse and took a look around, noticing a number of drawings pinned to the wall. One of them displayed the creatures ruined head with everything from the jaw up missing and what was left appeared to be burnt and cracked.

Takato decided Rumiko took her business seriously and raised his opinion of her.

Maybe… Maybe we got lucky. If the damage was bad enough it couldn't send out any of its seeds…

No. He couldn't rely on false hope. He had to know.

"When you were…" He swallowed. "When you were cutting this guy apart, did you…happen to find any small, red balls or anything? Like seeds?"

"Why…no," Tamashiro replied. "There was nothing but its heart that we could find."

Takato's hand came to rest on the pummel of his sword once more as he continued to look over the drawings, finally settling on one. After a moment, he brought his crimson eyes to meet Tamashiro's dark ones and they narrowed dangerously.

"Why are you lying to me?"

Tamashiro's eyes widened as next to the knight Rika shifted her grip on her staff.

"Takato?" she asked uncertainly. Reaching over, Takato pulled the drawing he saw off the wall and raised it to her.

"I can't read this language… I can't read much of _anything_ at all actually, but I used to draw a lot as a kid. I made some detailed sketches when I was fighting in the field so everyone would know what to look for. I know what Reaper seed looks like. Rika? You saw it before you met me. What do you think?"

Rika took the drawing and quickly breezed through the notes before her eyes fell on the sketch of the sphere.

"It definitely looks like it," she said finally. "And the notes describe it as a seed of some kind, or an egg."

"A _Kernel Sphere,"_ said Tamashiro, barking a harsh laugh as he backed away a bit. "I should have known this would have happened as soon as a _Hypnos Knight_ showed up here…"

Takato's sword flew out of its sheath as an aura of light quickly surrounded Rika. Lightning danced up the length of Takato's sword as they both illuminated the room.

"A Reaper..." Takato growled.

"Their _Agent,"_ Tamashiro corrected, spreading his arms outward. "My joining their communion has opened my eyes, but…it took too long to baptize me. I didn't get a chance to destroy the notes." His expression became almost sorrowful. "Ah… I wish I had more time to experience their love, but I won't let you stop them. Not now." His eyebrows arched downward like angry knives while his lips twisted into a cruel smile. "Not when they have already rooted themselves into the heart of the city!"

Tamashiro's eyes suddenly began to glow and as though it were a signal, his entire body began to dissolve and fall apart

"All…will become… _one!"_ Tamashiro hissed before the remnants of his jaw tore off and melted into a steaming, red puddle.

###

It lay in wait outside Shinjuku elementary, in a tree where the branches concealed its presence. It knew she was there. She would be leaving the building shortly. It didn't understand why the bell noise was coming from the building, but that was irrelevant. It could sense her movement all the same. Spreading its wings, it flew straight toward the school, eagerly anticipating her arrival. Its eyes grew and its wings began to change, becoming razor-edged blades. The doors of Shinjuku opened, and human children began flooding out.

Amidst them was a brown-haired girl with amber eyes and an olive-green dress.

The Reaper let out a predatory shriek, having found its target at long last.

###

"It's about time!"

Terriermon jumped up with joy upon hearing the school bell ring, signaling that the Tamers were finally being let out of school. He knew that he didn't have to be there. He could have been home playing around on Henry's computer, destroying the evil denizens of the digital world on the game that birthed him (even if it was rather outdated now). He knew he didn't have to wait for Henry, but he wanted to all the same. It was rather strange.

 _I almost feel like I'm an actual dog waiting for his human to come home,_ he mused, dancing on the brick wall surrounding the school, ears raised in the air attempting to wave Henry down. He could see his partner starting to exit the school now, but at the moment Henry didn't notice him yet, being too far away. Human eyes just simply weren't built for…

"Whoa!" Terriermon spun around as he felt a sudden presence, vague and completely unlike a digimon, but the shock of it caused his fur to stand up on end all the same. What was more, it felt frighteningly familiar.

Looking up, he saw a bird that eerily resembled a D-Reaper scout suddenly break loose from a tree and rush toward where the Tamers were emerging. Not even taking a second to think, Terriermon leapt into the air, his ears already helping him to spin as he shouted his signature attack.

"Terrier Tornado!"

The bird shrieked as he approached it, as though in triumph, but was quickly interrupted as Terriermon slammed into its body full force. Rebounding, Terriermon landed gracefully on the ground and spun, taking aim and letting loose a torrent of green energy blasts from his mouth. The monster—Terriermon saw now that it only superficially resembled the D-Reaper scout, but the familiar look ended at the razor-sharp wings—howled as the blasts struck it, detonating with explosive force. It was quick to push back into the air, slashing at Terriermon with its blades in an attempt to rid itself of the annoying gnat of a digimon, but Terriermon wasn't having it. Quickly dodging out of the way—assisted by a well-timed speed-boost upgrade courtesy of a digi-modify by Henry who now saw his partner in trouble—Terriermon began spinning again, but this time for a different reason.

A shell of light formed around his body as the data making up his skin and fur began to peel off, restructuring and reorganizing itself as a new influx of data became incorporated into his body. Terriermon smiled, knowing full well what was going on, and his mouth began to move involuntarily to suit words to the action.

_"Terriermon, digivolve tooo… Gargomon!"_

The shell surrounding him exploded, revealing Terriermon in his new form. His body was larger now, with more green fur than the creamy white. He wore an ammunition belt around his chest and a pair of pants, and guns were wrapped around his wrists where his paws would be. His feet, once tiny, were now massive behemoths. The transformation complete, Terriermon took aim and unleashed a hellish series of blasts from his wrist guns, round after round slamming into their target. The creature howled angrily as each blast found their mark and it bum rushed him. Gargomon jumped into the air, shooting at the monster from above.

It was only then that he realized that this was what the creature wanted as it flew straight on, aiming toward the children—the Tamers—that now stood out in the open.

 _"Henryyy!"_ Terriermon shouted, knowing that there was nothing he could do to stop the monster from reaching them.

Then, a miracle happened.

###

"Hellooo… Earth to Jeri? Hey! Jeri!"

"Huh?" Jeri blinked her eyes, suddenly coming back to reality. Looking up, she saw Kazu and Kenta standing next to her desk, the former of whom was now shaking his head, hands on his hips disapprovingly.

"Man, you're really losing it today. What's going on with you? You take Chumley's place or something? It's like you're on a completely different planet! C'mon! We've got to go! School's over."

"Oh… Right." Grabbing a few choice things from her desk, Jeri went over to where she stashed her bag and stuffed them inside. The trio left together, but Jeri still appeared to be distracted about something.

"Are you okay, Jeri?" Kenta asked worriedly. Inside his shirt, the familiar pink face of MarineAngemon poked his head out, looking to join him.

"Pih?" the fairy digimon asked.

"Man, you can't still be all weirded out because I said this morning that I thought Chumley and Rika having a thing for each other."

"No, it's not that…" Jeri replied with a shake of her head. That felt like a lie though, and judging by the look on Kazu and Kenta's faces as they exchanged glances, they felt much the same way.

"It was an easy mistake," Kazu sighed, folding his arms behind his head as they exited the classroom and joined the throng of students as they fought each other to exit the school in a timely manner. "Rika's been acting weird ever since Chumley saved everyone's butts from the Parasimon.. I mean, who _wouldn't_ think that? He got to play knight in shining armor with her twice… _Literally_ once! Anybody could have made that mistake."

"I didn't," Kenta said quietly.

Kazu groaned and rolled his eyes. _"Thank you,_ Kenta, for ruining my point…"

"What point is that?" came the voice of Henry by the doors as the Tamers neared the exit.

"It's nothing," Jeri said, but Kazu wasn't hearing it.

"Nothing my butt! I say one thing about Takato and Rika and she's been weird and distant all day. Ms. Asagi was _this_ close to calling her Takato and giving her detention! You can't just chalk that up to _nothing."_

"I'm just worried about how Takato's doing!" Jeri snapped, causing Kazu to almost miss a step at the angry tone in her voice. Seeing that, the brown-haired girl took a second to calm down before continuing. "We haven't heard anything all day. Renamon didn't stop by to give us any news and since we don't have cell phones…" She massaged her hand worryingly. "I'm just…nervous about what we're going to hear."

Henry nodded in understanding. "Well, let's go see Takato, or at least connect with Rika. She probably heard something by now so…"

A loud, animalistic shriek cut across his words. Snapping his head around, the half-Chinese Tamer saw an all-too familiar horror suddenly rushing toward them, Terriermon slamming into it and nearly downing it.

"The _D-Reaper?!"_ the boy heard Kazu gasp in shock as it rose back up, but Henry was barely paying attention to him as he dropped his bag and pulled out his digivice and a card from his pants pocket. He didn't need to look to know what card it was, as he always kept it as the first card available in case something happened, much like this.

 _"Digi-modify!"_ Henry shouted, slashing the card through his D-Arc with a shower of sparks. _"Speed activate!"_

The Reaper, or whatever it was, attacked, but Terriermon was already on the move, easily escaping its counterattack. So was Henry as he pulled another card from his pocket, a digivolution card, and quickly slashed it through the card slot with another shower of sparks. Watching, Terriermon was surrounded by an egg-like shell of glowing energy that quickly exploded, revealing his Champion-level form of Gargomon. The battle resumed without breaking pace, but the Reaper suddenly rushed at him, forcing the digimon to jump out of the way or be bisected by some rather sharp-looking wings. The Reaper continued past him, ignoring his attacks and instead focusing on the Tamers.

It was then that Henry realized that they had been its target all along.

"MarineAngemon!" shouted Kenta, pulling aside his outer shirt. The pink-fairy digimon leapt out, ready for action, but before he could do anything, a sudden burst of light erupted from Jeri's digivice, causing the Tamers and digimon to shield their eyes from its intensity while simultaneously forcing the Reaper to draw up short.

When the light died down, there, standing before them, was a tall, muscular, blond man with a heavy, thick beard and a sword in hand. He looked like a wild lion, his skin bronze from days spent in the sun, and riddled with scars. For a second, the Tamers stood there, slack jawed as they felt that they were staring at a ghost.

"Is…Is that…?" stammered Kazu behind them, but he couldn't finish. Jeri, on the other hand, in spite of her disbelieving eyes, did.

"…Leomon?" she whispered.

The man reached behind him and drew a thick, short sword and got into a defensive stance. His blue eyes stared daggers at the Reaper and an orange aura wrapped itself around him, shaping itself into a lion.

With an inhuman roar, the man rushed forward, blade arcing at the Reaper and coming down with a shining slash.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A Story for Suzie

Chapter: 18

A hundred thoughts flew through Jeri's mind as she stood there, transfixed by the sight in front of her. They passed so quickly that she couldn't grab hold of them. A shining silver blade clove through the air, born by the powerfully-built muscles of its owner. Orange light, like fire, licked at its edges, and a golden main of hair blew in the wind. The Reaper entity shrieked and drew up short as the warrior's blade slashed at it, its edge skating off its body, sending sparks flying. The warrior roared like a beast and thrust a fist forward, sending a blast of raw force at the Reaper, and at once Jeri's thoughts focused.

"Leomon?" she whispered.

Only that couldn't be. Leomon was dead, killed by their now-ally Beelzemon. For him, there was no coming back.

As Jeri and the others watched, he attempted to flank the Reaper and hacked at its wings. Jeri's eyes widened slightly.

_He's…human?!_

The Reaper howled and spun, trying to guard itself, only to have its front raked by Gargomon as he unleashed a hailstorm of energy blasts. The Tamers were not out of the battle just because a newcomer was tagged in.

"We've got to end this quickly," Henry said, drawing another card from his pocket…a _blue card._ Not thinking twice about it, he swiped the card through the slot on his digivice and shouted the words that would activate its data. _"Digi-modify! Matrix Digivolution activate!"_

Once more a shell of light surrounded Gargomon as he announced his ascension to the Ultimate Level of digivolution.

_"Gargomon! Digivolve tooo… Rapidmon!"_

The shell burst apart, revealing yet another change to the digimon's form. Gone were the pants, fur, and gun belts. Rapidmon's body had replaced them completely with sleek, green and white armor and a grey pack on his back that gave him the appearance of a robot. The guns that made up his hands were swapped out for rocket launchers.

"How about some of this?!" Rapidmon shouted, taking aim with his new weapons. _"Rapid Fire!"_

Rockets burst free from their housings in his wrists and shot forth, streaming exhaust behind them as they sought out their target. The Reaper, brushing off a sword strike with a flick of its wing, turned around to meet the new attack.

It was completely unprepared for the rockets' destructive force as they impacted its body, sending shrieking metal flying through the air where it quickly evaporated into shards of data. The Reaper's ruined form collapsed to the ground, making horrible choking sounds as a thick, violet liquid poured from its gaping wounds. Struggling to regain its feet, it saw a shadow fall over it. Looking up, it saw its opponent, the human beast with a sword in hand, standing over it.

Watching, helpless to effect its situation, it saw the human raise his sword. It glinted in the sunlight before its owners muscular arm drove it down into its chest. Metal cracked and splintered and its ichor flew, splattering its killer. The Reaper convulsed but once before slumping back to the ground, letting out a rattling breath and becoming still.

"Whoa…" Rapidmon breathed as the human withdrew his sword with a wet sound. "That was…a bit graphic don't you think?"

The man turned toward Rapidmon, his expression wary, but thoughtful.

"And what manner of demon are you?" he growled, hefting his thick-bladed sword. Rapidmon raised his rocket launchers cautiously, uncertain what the man's next moves were going to be.

"Just a digimon who helped you out," he replied. "What about you?"

"Hey!" called out Henry as he approached, giving Rapidmon a baleful glare while keeping a respectful distance from the man. "Do we _have_ to fight still? Shouldn't we…?"

_"Henry!"_

The boy blinked as the man focused entirely on him all of a sudden. "Um…have we met?"

"Don't play the fool," the man growled, flicking his sword so as to clean it of the worst of the Reaper's blood. "You are hardly like Takato's friend, Kazu…"

"Seriously?" Kazu exclaimed indignantly, hands going onto his hips. "I don't even know this guy and I still don't get any respect? What's this world coming to?"

"I guess your reputation precedes you," snickered Kenta. Kazu glowered at him.

"Laugh it up, Chumley. I'm sure our Leomon-human guy here knows _plenty_ of stories about you…"

The man turned toward the bickering pair with a stern look, but his blue eyes quickly fell upon a certain brown-haired girl standing next to them. At once his eyes widened as shock spread across his face.

 _"Jeri?!"_ he exclaimed. _"You're alive?!"_

The girl, already uncertain by the ghost she was seeing nearly froze up at being suddenly addressed. "I…I don't…" She looked over at Henry, who could only return it, his eyes showing no less confusion about the matter. "Who are you?"

The man's eyes narrowed as he looked around the group. "Something… Something is very wrong here." He took in each of them before tightening his grip on his sword. "None of you recognize me."

"Actually," began Kazu, stepping forward. "We do, but, well, you see…you look a lot like somebody we used to know. Only…"

"Only he looked more like a cat," cut in Rapidmon. "Seriously. Your butt needs a tail or something to make this whole thing spookier. You even have the leather pants and everything… Well, except the ears and muzzle that is…"

"Rapidmon!" scolded Henry, snapping his partner a sharp look.

"Momentai!"

"I'm sorry," sighed Henry. "This looks like it's going to take some explaining. To keep things simple, you're…not in your own world anymore."

The man looked Henry in the eyes before nodding. Whatever else was going on, the one thing he saw in them was truth, at least as far as this youth understood the situation. He sniffed the air, picking up smells that were nothing like he was familiar with. And this place, full of children… There was something about it that was alien, though for some reason he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"This is going to take some explaining indeed," he agreed with a nod. His eyes settled on Jeri for a moment and the girl felt a chill run down her back before he turned to look at the Reaper's corpse. "Introductions and explanations can come later. Business first. This _thing_ needs to be destroyed as soon as possible. Even dead it will find a way to spread its taint, and for all of my power, there is only so much I can do." He turned to Henry and bowed slightly. "Will you aid me?"

Henry opened his mouth as if to say something, but paused as he flicked his gaze over to the Reaper. For some reason its body hadn't yet dissolved into its individual data particles as was common with digimon after being 'killed'. He felt his skin crawl at the sight of the creature. As much as he hated to admit it, there was nothing about the Reaper, living or dead, that suggested it was in any way not dangerous to everything around it.

"Get everyone inside," he said gravely, looking at the others. "This won't take long."

Quick nods and a second later, Kazu, Kenta, and Jeri were quickly rounding up students to get them back inside the school just as soon as teachers began to appear at the door. Off in the distance, Henry could hear police sirens as they rushed in their direction. Pulling one hand into a tight fist, he turned toward his partner.

"Rapidmon?"

There was the sound of a click as the armored digimon cycled fresh missiles into their tubes.

"Time to take out the trash!"

###

"Report!" Yamaki said upon bursting into the main control room.

"We detected an abnormal germination energy pattern," Riley replied, her hands flying across her control panel as she received information. "It's like the ones from before when the Takato clone bio-emerged."

"Another one," Yamaki grimaced. _I hate to think how this will complicate things._ "Location?"

"West Shinjuku," replied Tally. "At the Tamers' school. We're getting reports from law enforcement that there was a disturbance, digimon related. The situation appears to have been handled by the Tamers present."

Yamaki flicked the lighter in his hand open and felt his shoulders relax slightly. "Good. I'm going to prepare a room for a meeting. I imagine that we'll be receiving them shortly."

No sooner did he say that did his cell phone ring. "Yamaki," he replied curtly.

_"Sir. The Tamers Takato and Rika have arrived. They wish to make a report."_

Yamaki nodded in spite of his surprise at how quickly two of them arrived. _Was there a separate incident that we didn't know about?_ he wondered. There was only one way to be sure. "Have them wait in the lobby. I'll send for them shortly."

###

Jeri turned at the sound of the explosion as Rapidmon finished reducing the remains of the Reaper to broken pieces. This time the attack had the desired—and expected—result of disintegrating its body into glowing data fragments that quickly dissipated into the air. In spite of her relief she found herself hugging her sides.

_Just seeing it…and…and him… It brings it all back. For a minute, I almost thought I was back in the D-Reaper…_

She shivered involuntarily. The man looked too much like Leomon, even disregarding the lack of feline characteristics. The shaggy, lion-like beard and hair… The blue eyes. That especially. He had that same look as her former partner. Deep, studious, hard…his gaze very much like Renamon's. It was as though he was looking both far and near, half-expecting trouble even when there was none to be found.

 _The scars,_ she thought, suddenly noticing them. _They're… I think they're in the same place as Leomon's._

She pressed her lips together, uncertain as to whether or not she should go to him…or if she should say anything. _I know he's not Leomon, but…_ Her amber eyes met his blue ones, and for a moment they locked onto each other. Jeri quickly looked away, troubled by this development. As she did so, she caught sight of a small, white digimon approaching the school at a frantic pace.

"Calumon?" she whispered before looking around her. "Henry! Mr. Leo…man." Her voice stumbled over the name, having nearly called him _Leomon._ "Calumon's here!"

 _"Jeriii!"_ Calumon called, making a beeline straight toward her. _"Listen! Listen! Listen!"_

"Calm down," Jeri said, catching hold of the diminutive digimon as the other Tamers gathered around her. "What's the matter?"

"There was this D-Reaper thing that attacked me and Impmon at the playground, and Impmon got hurt, and then Takato and two Rika's showed up to help and…"

"Oh man…" Kazu moaned. "As if _one_ of her wasn't enough already…"

 _"Kazu!"_ snapped Jeri before refocusing on Calumon. The little digimon's explanation, as bare as it was of details, didn't sound good. "Where are Takato and Rika now? Is Impmon okay?"

At this, Calumon unexpectedly became more at ease and he breathed a heavy sigh. "The other Rika did something that healed him, but she flew away after giving Takato a great big kiss on the lips." At this, Jeri's face bloomed bright red, and behind her, Kazu and Kenta's eyes both widened in utter astonishment. "She seemed awfully upset about something," he continued, completely oblivious to their reaction. Looking around, he suddenly seemed to notice the man standing a short ways off to the side, arms folded over his broad chest and watching him warily. Calumon blinked his large eyes at him, transfixed. "Oh wow… When did Leomon come back, and as a _person?!"_

"That's… That's not Leomon, bud," Kazu said, turning toward the man. "Hey! What _do_ we call you anyway?"

"In my world I am simply known as Leo the Lion," the man rumbled. "That is all that you need to know about me."

"Well that's original," muttered Rapidmon under his breath. "Whoever came up with that name didn't have an original bone in his body."

Henry, for his part, furrowed his brow as he felt something he could only describe as a faint tickle in his memory. Brushing it aside for the moment, he returned his attention to Calumon. "About Takato and Rika… _our_ Rika… Where are they now? Are they all right?"

"Huh? Oh! That's right! They sent me to get you guys! They're going to Hypnos so that they can find the other Rika."

At the mention of Hypnos, Leo raised an eyebrow, but chose not to say anything. As much as he didn't understand what was going on around him, he understood the meaning behind Henry's words from earlier about this world being different from the one he knew. The fact that no one here that he recognized knew him more than made that clear.

What was more, _she_ was here. Jeri. Alive and well when she shouldn't be.

His blue eyes settled on her. He was tempted to think of her as a Reaper trick—another _vessel_ disguised to look like a former comrade in arms.

 _There could be no other explanation,_ Leo thought to himself. _You died; fallen to the enemy. No one comes back from death._

"All right," said Henry, glancing down at the gate where a group of police cars were now pulling up, lights flashing blue and red. "Let's get going then. It's time that we figured out what's going on."

Both Leo and Jeri couldn't agree more.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A Story for Suzie

Chapter: 19

"I see," Yamaki said after hearing Takato and Rika's story. The two Tamers sat across from each other, their partners at their side while Impmon lounged in a chair at the far end, all looking at the Head of Hypnos expectantly.

"That's it?" Rika asked incredulously. "We come all this way to tell you what happened and all you can say is, 'I see'?"

"There isn't much more to say at this point, Ms. Nonaka," Yamaki said, folding his arms behind him. "You didn't bring in your duplicate so now we're left with having to track her down and hope that she comes quietly."

"But that should be easy, right?" Takato asked. Rika glanced at him.

"Why do you say that? Just because she kissed you?" she asked, a bit of a sharp tone in her voice as she drummed her fingers on the table.

"I…!" Takato blushed sharply for a moment before scowling. "I meant that we have the _other_ _me!_ I mean, he would want to cooperate…wouldn't he? I mean, he's me…"

"Last I checked you don't bust other people's noses or try to fight Renamon."

"Wait…I… _he_ …hurt people?"

"He did attempt to resist," supplied Yamaki. "However Ms. Nonaka was able to exercise some influence over him and control the situation."

"Did that include smooching him on the lips too?" Impmon sniped, earning him a razor-like glare that caused him to only grin back. "What're you lookin' at? I only ask since that seems to be goin' around."

Rika merely folded her arms over her chest and continued to glare at the diminutive digimon. Still blushing, Takato and Guilmon exchanged glances.

"Impmon sure likes to live dangerously," Takato joked nervously, only to button his mouth as Rika turned her attention to him next.

"Zip it, Gogglehead."

"If you are all through," Yamaki began with a scowl, "we need to focus. Takato's idea has some merit to it…"

"It does?" Takato blinked, but Yamaki simply ignored him and continued.

"…and at the very least we should attempt to enlist his double's assistance." He turned to look at Rika now. "You have some influence over him. Do you think you could convince him to help us?"

"I don't see how," Rika said, shifting uncomfortably. "What am I supposed to say? I'm not his real… _whatever_ she is to him and that we can help him find her?"

"If he's anything like ol' Pineapple Head over there," shot Impmon with a laugh, "then all you have to do is kiss him and he'll be too busy tripping over himself to notice what you're tellin' him."

"Impmon!" Now it was Takato's turn to glare at Impmon, though he was far from alone as Rika turned her own baleful gaze back toward him. Luminescent blushes stood out on their faces and it was clear that it now took every ounce of self-control for Rika to simply stay in her seat.

"It might be a good idea to be truthful right from the start," Renamon said, placing a paw on her young partner's shoulder. "If he is anything like the real Takato, he should be able to understand and be willing to lend his assistance regardless of anything else." Renamon's azure gaze fell on Takato, and the boy raised an eyebrow at her, feeling as though, for some reason, she was saying something more than what her words meant on the surface. Renamon gave Rika's shoulder a squeeze. "What do you say, Rika? You saw him fight at your school. Do you feel his character is similar enough?"

Rika scowled first at Takato and then down at the table, her face red as she remembered the knight covering her with his cape and using his shield as a makeshift umbrella to protect her from the sprinkler system. Biting her lower lip, she forced the words out.

"He's…dorkier," she muttered, wishing greatly that all this was just a dream of hers. Crazily, she couldn't help but wonder if Takato were somehow responsible for this. His dreams for some reason had the tendency to become real.

 _If that's the case,_ she thought darkly, _then why'd he drag me into this? I thought he had a crush on Jeri._ He played the knight in shining armor for her anyway and… Rika had to resist the urge to shake her head at the memory of her being saved by Gallantmon from Parasimon. She didn't want to think about how that had to look. It had all the makings of the stereotypical fantasy story, knight and monster included.

At any rate, she doubted Takato had anything to do with this. As much of a clueless Gogglehead he could be at times, it just didn't seem like him. After all, it hadn't been _his_ idea to ask her to go cherry-blossom watching with him on her birthday. Her mother and Jeri had been the ones to cook up that little idea. He simply got looped into it on account of being too polite to say no.

_We never went to go see the Cherry Blossoms in the end anyway…_

"Eh," Impmon shrugged from his end of the table. "I say as long as he helps than we've got nothin' to worry about."

Takato looked at Rika with worriedly. She had become awfully quiet for some reason.

 _I…guess I can't blame her,_ he thought. _This whole thing with the other Rika is weird enough just for me. I can't even begin to think how she must feel with another me running around._ He thought back to the way the other Rika's lips felt against his and he flushed badly. He wondered about Impmon's earlier remark and the way Rika—his friend—was acting. _Did he really kiss her? What could he have done? I…_

Takato shook his head and sighed mentally.

_Why does this sort of thing have to make things so…weird all of a sudden? Why now so soon after Rika's birthday? It's like… It's like…_

The thought danced just outside of his reach, refusing to be caught. Was there something going on that he didn't know about?

_Besides the obvious, I mean… Rika's right. Half the time I don't know what's going on._

"What do you say, Ms. Nonaka?" Yamaki asked, breaking the two teens out of their thoughts. "This plan requires your cooperation. It's not necessary however, as we can use our other resources to locate your double. We're running the data we received from Takato's double through our systems. We should be able to determine a means to locate her."

Rika sighed and closed her violet eyes. "I don't think getting him to help us is going to change anything," she said. "But…I guess we should at least tell him the truth so he doesn't freak out later." She paused before continuing, "And it's probably a good idea to hear it from me anyway."

"Very well," Yamaki nodded. "I'll escort you to where he's being kept."

With that, the fiery-haired girl got up. Takato and Guilmon were quick to follow. With nothing more to be said, Impmon uncoiled from his seat and hopped down to the floor.

 _Time to see what all the hubbub is about…_ Impmon thought as he followed his friends out of the room.

###

The storage room was abuzz with activity. Rumiko surveyed its contents with a careful eye, or rather what little remained of its contents. The Reaper remnants, both that of the 'Horn Striker' and Tamashiro were little more than blackened ash now.

"…is unacceptable!" declared a blonde-haired, balding man by the name of Robert McCoy in the center of the room where the piece of the Horn Striker once lay. "All those days of research…gone, just like that!" Robert glowered at Rika with eyes dark with rage. "And you _let him!"_

"Careful of how you speak to my daughter, _Dolphin,"_ she said before Rika could even respond, using his nickname in an attempt to placate him. She glided over to the man and placed a warning hand on his shoulder. The man flinched under her touch, remembering himself. "She merely followed the advice of her bodyguard. The Hypnos Knight has the most experience facing these creatures. I believe his decision to destroy the remains was made correctly, given what they said about Tamashiro."

"I…apologize," he grated, clearly not surrendering his anger just yet, though it ebbed now. "It's just…all that work, and we still had so much more left to do…"

"It couldn't be helped," Rika said, her expression displaying anger at Robert's attitude toward her and her knight. "It's as I said; Tamashiro was infected, and if he became so just from the Reaper's remains, we couldn't afford to take any chances that he might be able to do so to us as well."

"We need to destroy the rest as well," Takato piped in from the Princess' side. "With fire or anything that uses intense heat will do the trick.

Robert McCoy opened his mouth to protest, but a sharp look from Rumiko quickly silenced him.

"We will do as you say," Rumiko said. "We still have the notes from the initial studies. That should be sufficient for the time being. At least until we are better able to protect ourselves from this infection." She turned to Takato. "What is your next move?"

"Huh?" Takato blinked before responding. "Well… Rika… I mean, the Princess and I discussed that we may need to go through the city. You had a…lower caste handle the bodies?"

"Yes," Rumiko nodded. "You believe that they may be infected?"

"I'd like to make sure just to be on the safe side. Guilmon…my war horse…he has a pretty good nose on him. All things considered he's had to in order to survive. He can pick out an infected human pretty easily, even if they're not in front of him. I think our first priority should be the civilian population so we can see how bad it is. If it's that bad at all I mean." He frowned, staring at the burnt spot where Tamashiro had melted earlier. Rumiko followed his gaze. Stepping closer, she lowered her voice.

"Do you have reason to suspect that it's contained to the castle?" she asked. Takato shook his head.

"I'm not assuming anything right now. But the body movers handled them first. It makes more sense."

 _Prudent,_ she mused. "I shall send an escort with you to be on the safe side. In the meantime, is there anything I and mine can do to root out any possible infected within the main castle?"

Takato tapped his chin thoughtfully. "There are…some tricks, yeah, but they're not as good. Animals can usually sense when a person is a Reaper, but Reapers can disguise themselves pretty well. Guilmon had to be trained to do more than just tell at first smell, you know? And we didn't have a manual for that really since it was something that came a little late in the war." Takato scratched the back of his head in frustrated embarrassment. "It was kind of a…trial and error thing. Either the animal learned or they…didn't learn anymore."

 _And not many did,_ he added mentally.

"I see," Rumiko responded, understanding the subtle meaning of the knight's words. "Are there others?"

"Yeah," Takato said, bobbing his head up and down. "One more, and until Guilmon came along it was our best. Blood tests. While it's infecting someone the first thing that changes is the blood. It becomes dark. The problem though is that when a Reaper has infected someone for a while it can make it look normal. It usually takes a few days and a person would never show a sign except for that." He gave Rumiko an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, but if there's anyone else infected, they might already be past the point of blood tests."

"Still, it's better than nothing. We will do what we can. As I'm sure you know by now due to my daughter, we have other means at our disposal that can be used."

"I hope that it helps. If you do find someone, don't…" Takato swallowed. "…don't hesitate to take them down. Reapers play for keeps."

###

"Do you really think your horse will be able to sniff out any Reaper Agents?" Rika asked as they exited the room. Takato nodded.

"He's saved my life from them enough times with just his nose," he grinned, tapping the organ in question. "He may be part dragon now, but I don't think that will have changed anything. In fact, it might have made him stronger."

"Guess there's only one way to find out," Rika replied, though she felt uncertain as to how this would actually play out. Still, she had to admit that his instincts were good, having caught the first traitor in their midst despite not having been here for very long. She found it curious as to the amount of good fortune required for this knight to arrive when he did. _Had he not, surely I would have been infected too. After all, I found that seed. I knew it was bad, but I would have studied it to see what it was. Just like Tamashiro did…and now he's dead._

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and revised her original opinion of him. His face, though naïve and unassuming in appearance, was anything but. _Never judge a book by its cover,_ she remembered her grandmother saying to her once upon a time. _And as far as books go, he's probably the easiest. Everything is up front…_ Her expression softened when she thought about the scars on his back. _…even when he's hiding something._

"…paper…"

"Hm?" Rika blinked, having not heard what the knight said. "I'm sorry, I missed that."

"I was wondering if you had any paper or something I could draw on. Like what Tamashiro had back there."

"I have plenty in my room, why do you ask?"

"I was thinking…" Takato began, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "…it might be a good idea for me to redraw all my notes from the battlefield after we're done. There may still be other Reapers out there, like the one I saw before I got attacked by the dragon. It would be a good idea for the kingdom to have some knowledge on hand in case…" He drifted off for a moment, his eyes becoming distant for a moment before he laughed lightly. "Well, just in case."

"In case what?" Rika prompted, curious.

"Just…you know, in case. In case I have to leave…or get killed." He tried to shrug nonchalantly and failed miserably at it. "I mean, I can't stay here forever. I don't think the Queen would let me seeing as how I'm a hedge knight and all. An errant even. And if I die…"

Rika snorted. "Like I'll let _that_ happen."

"But… It's my job." Takato furrowed his brow. "I've given my word…"

"Doesn't mean I'll just let you do it at the drop of a hat. Let's get one thing straight, _sir knight._ I don't let people sacrifice themselves for me. You may have sworn a silly little oath, but that doesn't mean I have to let you keep it." She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Your oath is bound to me which means I'm also bound to you." She remembered her lessons well. Perhaps the only thing she thought worthwhile about what it meant to be a Queen was that however important you were, a ruler's loyalty to their subjects was greater than all others, from the highest of knights to the lowest peasant. "You can't stop me from saving you if I choose too. Got it?"

Takato scowled at her, clearly not liking this development. "I'll still need to make my notes," he said after a moment of silence. He gave her a hard look. "Just in case."

 _Well that's subtle…_ Rika thought, resisting the urge to roll her eyes in exasperation. "Do you even remember your notes?" She didn't think it likely given what he said about his education background. She doubted that he even made that many to begin with. The war most certainly would have kept him preoccupied.

"Yes," Takato replied simply, the statement so simple and confident that it nearly caused Rika to draw up short in surprise.

"Right… And what about the language? You just said that you don't know how to read or write."

She saw Takato squirm a little at that and flush in embarrassment.

"About that… Could… Could you help me with that? To learn even? I'm not very good but…if it's not a problem…I'd like to be able to help as much as I can."

Now _that_ definitely surprised her. _Not many people here care to learn to read or write. Just the nobility and some people in the traders guilds. Most of them seem to think that it's pointless to even try, or that it's somehow beneath them._

A small smile curved on Rika's face just then as she found herself rather liking the idea.

"Sure," she said in acknowledgement. "We'll start tonight in my chambers."

Takato's answering smile caused her own to grow in response.

###

Ryo emerged from the stables, a thoughtful look on his face.

 _That knight…_ he mused, rubbing his chin with one hand. _Sure seems like ol' Leo trusted him a great deal given what I saw in that horse's mind. That's a point in his court, but there's something else about him… Something that Guilmon doesn't understand._

Closing his eyes, he thought back to the images he picked up from Guilmon… A black and red aura shaped like a dragon, twisting and lashing out angrily around him.

 _"It couldn't be the spirit of the Dragon god,"_ came the voice from Ryo's medallion—the Millennium god. _"He and the Fox are still trapped in their sleep. The Crow controls their power now. And their throne."_

"So what is he then?" asked Ryo with a bit of a sarcastic tone to his voice. "There aren't many dragon gods out there that have that aura. In fact, there aren't any others."

 _"Did you not feel it when you saw the boy?"_ scoffed the Millennium god's voice. _"You, who defeated me—imprisoned me—and became a legend. Come now, Ryo Akiyama. I thought you were better than this. Use your mind and your senses. Think back."_

Ryo scowled, but did as the Millennium god suggested. _Yeah,_ he thought. _Yeah there was definitely something more to him than met the eye. Like…Like something was being hidden. Something he doesn't want other people to see. Something… Something related to that dragon form? Close…_

He was almost there. Something he felt only one other time in the land of his youth, when he ventured with some friends of his. Before he became a legend; before the Millennium god…

"No way…" he breathed. "He's… _that?!"_

 _"Bravo,"_ chuckled the Millennium god. _"You must be rusty, legendary one, to not come to the conclusion so soon. Be wary, lest you accidently release me."_

Ryo shut the god up by replacing him back within his shirt. The glow of the medallion vanished, leaving him alone with his thoughts. "A Dreamer…" he whispered, shaking his head in disbelief. A small smile drew itself on his face and he gave a light laugh. "I guess you really wanted a hero back then," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I guess congratulations are in order." His smile slipped as he remembered the feeling from the court, that the youthful knight had been hiding a pain very dear to his heart. "But then again, even heroes have to lose every now and then."

Trudging back to the castle, Ryo lost himself in deep thought, wondering how much of his discovery changed things. Perhaps not, so long as the local powers did not discover it themselves.

 _Having him under the control of the Millennium Empire would be beneficial…_ he began, but he quickly…ruthlessly…squashed the thought. He refused to be like the gods who built him up to capture the power that he now commanded. He refused to be like his father, whose sole interest in sending him here was to create a bridge to the lands beyond the Makino Kingdom. He hated the idea of using others, if only because he himself had been used so often.

As he entered the main castle, he couldn't help but sympathize greatly with the plight Rika was ensnared in and hated his father for forcing it upon the girl; for forcing her family to capitulate in order to avoid bloodshed.

The ring on his finger, an amethyst set in it, twin to the azure one Rika wore on hers, felt like a terrible weight to him. He could only imagine what it must feel like for the Princess.

"And where do you go with the weight of the world on your shoulders?" came the voice of Seiko Hata, former Queen to the Kingdom, as she stepped into view. Ryo's eyes widened in surprise upon seeing her. It always unnerved him how she was able to slip out of the shadows.

"Not quite the weight of the world," he smiled. "As for where I'm going, I'm looking for… Well, I guess I'm curious as to where Rika and her knight in shining armor are."

"I've been given to understand that they're undertaking a small mission into the city to make sure the citizens are safe." Seiko tilted her head to one side. "Would you like to join them?"

Ryo chuckled. "Not now. I'd rather Rika's attention be on her job than being mad at me. Maybe once things have settled a little. What about the Queen?"

"She is in the central hall. I'm going there myself actually. It would be a good idea for you to go as well. She's preparing some tests for everyone to determine who may be infected. It seems there was some… _commotion_ earlier and Tamashiro was discovered to be a Reaper agent."

 _"Tamashiro?!"_ Ryo shuddered. "Gods… How many times have I been alone with that man and didn't know…"

Seiko placed a comforting hand on the Prince's shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. "Until the Hypnos Knight came here, none of us had any way of knowing. But come along. The Queen needs someone to be by her side once she discovers the next agent."

After a moment, Ryo nodded in agreement. His duty came before anything else. In spite of events, he owed the Kingdom of Makino his sword, his power…his very soul for as long he could. His honor as the Prince of the Millennium Empire demanded no less.

He remembered that Leo would do no less were he in his place, and he doubted his latest student would be any different.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A Story for Suzie

Chapter: 20

The room was plain, save for a mirror on one wall, a door, a single table, and a pair of metal chairs. Yet for Takato these things were fascinating. The metal chairs were lightweight and folded up. He saw how they did so…some kind of metal screws that connected the seat to the rest of the chair. A bit of an obvious idea now that he thought about it, but one that was absent in the civilized lands he explored. The lightweight metal was unexpected, as he never expected it to be used for something as simple as sitting in. Metal belonged to thrones, weapons, armor, and tools. Things that were expected to take a beating or display power. Not for merely sitting on. It seemed almost an insult.

Indeed, now that he thought about it, upon closer inspection, the chairs looked a bit worn and beat up. Were they not expected to last? He couldn't know, as he wasn't a blacksmith, but the table wasn't much better. It was made from the same metal as well with some kind of cheap wood covering it. The craftsmanship was…disappointing. It was as though this civilization, whatever it was, chose to waste resources. Still, the very act of them folding up… He could tell at first glance how this made it easier to save space and store things.

The mirror was even better. He had seen such things here and there in his travels, particularly in the Kingdom of Makino, but never one so large. It extended almost the entire length of the wall! The longest he had seen weren't even a quarter of its size.

 _Why would they put something like that in here?_ Takato tilted his head to one side, trying to envision the answer to that question. All he saw consisted of himself and the room within its vision. _Some kind of trap in case I try to escape? Will it steal my soul or something?_ He glanced at the door, remembering how he tested it earlier. Unlike the table and chairs, it was solidly built. Unless he used his abilities he couldn't get out on pure muscle alone. He didn't want to cause trouble. At least not until he absolutely had to.

 _I wonder when Rika's going to get back,_ he thought a bit glumly. _She's been gone for a while now. Could something have happened to her?_

No. He didn't think so. A part of him felt that he would have known if such was the case. Still, he couldn't help but be worried. This place was…strange to say the least. Sometimes it seemed normal and other times…not so normal, as if he couldn't make up his mind about what he saw.

_Did someone cast a spell on me or something?_

Contemplating this, his leaned his head back and looked up at the ceiling, taking a moment to admire the light. This he felt no fascination for, at least at this point in time. Another few minutes that might change.

###

"He looks just like you Takato!" Guilmon said, pressing his nose against the window and instinctively taking a sniff. He pouted a little when he realized that he wasn't picking up any scents.

"Wow Pineapple Head," Impmon said from his spot on Guilmon's shoulder, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're just the master of observation, aren't ya?"

"I don't have to be a master," Guilmon replied. "I'm looking right at him. That's nothing special. Even Calumon can do that."

"Geh…! I…" Impmon blinked at the crimson reptile and shook his head. "My humor is wasted on morons ain't it?"

"Ohhh… Takato… Impmon's being mean."

"Knock it off, Impmon," Takato scolded while Renamon gave the diminutive digimon a warning look. Takato ran a hand through his hair. "This…this is just so weird." He looked over at Yamaki. "Do you have any idea how this could have happened? I mean, what did I miss from the first meeting about this?"

"We'll discuss it when the others arrive," replied Yamaki. "Shibumi should have some more reliable data ready by then."

Takato frowned but nodded reluctantly. His expression was shared by Rika who stood next to Renamon, arms folded over her chest. "So…what? He's been in here ever since I brought him in, just sitting there like that? That's got to be boring."

"He's been interviewed and tested. He can't read Japanese it seems, though he's perfectly able to speak it. He mentioned that he speaks a language called…" Yamaki paused before continuing, "…Shinjukian."

Takato and Rika both looked at the man with baffled expressions. Yamaki nodded. "Yes. I know how it must sound but that is what he told us."

Rika closed her eyes for a moment, contemplating. Upon opening them she looked over at Takato. "Hey, do you have a notepad or anything?"

"Huh?" the boy blinked. "Oh! Yeah." Digging into his pants pocket he pulled one out. "I always keep one here in case I have nothing to do. I've tried to design modify cards too but…"

"Oh whatever!" Rika snapped, snatching it from his hand. "I just want to get this over with. A pen… Do you…?"

Rika found the boy handing a red one over to her with an amused smile.

"What do you intend to do?" Yamaki asked, curious as to what was going through the girl's mind. Rika approached the door and glanced back at him.

"The same thing we always do when we're in a crunch. I'll wing it." She looked at Takato. "Be ready. I may need you to come in too."

Takato raised a surprised eyebrow. "Uh…okay, but wouldn't Renamon be better? I mean, she _is_ a better fighter…"

Rika narrowed her eyes as if to say, _I can't believe you just said that out loud._

"I'm not talking about you being a _bodyguard,_ Gogglehead. I mean as support for what I'm about to tell your clone. Proof."

"Oh…" Takato's face bloomed bright red at that. "Um… Right. I'm not sure what I was thinking there…"

"Let's just get this over and done with," Rika sighed. "Renamon?"

"I'm on it," said the vulpine digimon as she snaked around Takato. Before she vanished from view, she placed a companionable paw on Takato's shoulder, leaving him with a surprised expression on his face as Rika entered the room.

"That…was a bit weird too," Takato commented, more to himself than to anyone else. Guilmon tugged on the hem of his shirt, his face beaming.

"Don't worry Takato. I'm sure Rika will let you protect her one of these days. Just not before you reach first base. That's what Kazu told me once anyway."

Takato and Impmon both just stared at Guilmon as if he had lost his mind. Misinterpreting their expressions, Guilmon continued.

"Yeah, I don't get it either. What does playing baseball have to do with whether or not friends keep each other safe? Don't we already do that?"

Impmon snorted attempting to hold back a laugh. "Why don't we ask our knight in shining armor here?" he snickered. Takato blushed furiously.

"I'm _really_ going to need to have a chat with Kazu…" he growled.

"Quiet," Yamaki said sternly as Rika pulled back a chair and set herself down in it. "We need to listen to this."

###

In spite of saying that she was going to 'wing it', Rika did enter the room with a plan, or at least the rough outline of one. The idea was simple; determine how much like Takato this copy of him was and establish familiar ground. Continue from there. It probably wasn't necessary in the grand scheme of things, but she felt that as long as this version of Takato was similar enough to the one she was familiar with, then she could handle him more easily if and when the time came to reveal the whole truth—to reveal _her_ Takato—to him. She didn't know how he would react to that, but she didn't want even the slightest chance of losing her Gogglehead until she was certain he wouldn't be a threat.

 _Not when he almost got killed in that fight from last night,_ she thought, squeezing the notepad a little tighter. Realizing she was crushing it, she relaxed her grip when the other Takato's eyes looked at her.

"Rika!" he exclaimed, eyes brightening almost immediately. That was a good sign. _Takato always does that whenever he sees me…or Jeri…or anyone else for that matter._ She took a careful breath and approached the table, pulling back the chair.

"Hey," she said, sitting herself down. "Thought I'd check in on you, and give you this for when you're bored."

She passed him the notepad and pen, causing the boy to raise a curious eyebrow. "This…?"

"It's paper. You draw on it."

"Uh…" He looked at the pen in his hand uncertainly. Exasperated, Rika snatched it out of his hand and took the notepad back. Flipping it open to a fresh piece of paper she scribbled a quick stick figure on it and handed both items back. "Like this. It's real easy."

Tentatively, as though afraid to upset Rika any further, Takato picked the pen back up and placed its tip against the paper. Drawing it down his eyes widened in amazement at the crisp, clean line.

"Oh… _wow!_ This…is…so… _cool!_ This…" He looked at the pen wondrously. "This is way better than brushes and charcoal. It's like…like the quill pens back at Makino Castle. Only…" His brow furrowed, trying to work out a question on his mind. "Where's the ink?"

"Inside," she said simply. She watched as Takato took another look at it and took a quick sniff of the tip.

"What?" she asked, a little unsettled.

"Just checking to make sure it's not blood," he replied, looking a little embarrassed. "Sorry. I guess I just can't get over it, especially after that weird run-in we had with a magician. But it's such a _power_ _color!_ I've never seen ink like this before."

"Yeah… About that." Bringing her arms together, she leaned forward. "We need to talk about things you've never seen before."

Takato nodded. "Yeah. I've been wanting to talk about that but…well, you've been busy." His eyebrows knotted together thoughtfully. Rika noted how eerily similar it was to the goggle-wearing boy behind the mirror whenever he was in deep thought or serious about something. "What's…What's going on here? I keep seeing things that look weird and then it's like I don't notice them anymore."

"This is going to sound weird," began Rika, placing a hand between them, "but I don't know any better way to tell you, so you've got to listen very carefully, okay? I'm… _not_ the Rika you know."

"Huh?" Takato's eyebrows rose, but a quirky smile twitched at the corners of his lips.

 _He's…so much like our Takato…_ she thought.

"That's… That's crazy," the knight stammered. "What are you talking about? Of course you're Rika!"

"I am, but I'm not…" _There really is no better way to say this. Here goes…_ "I'm not your Rika. She's saved two friends of mine so far. She's out there, but I'm not her. You're in another world."

Takato's mouth worked for a moment before closing, unable to form words. Closing his eyes, he placed his hands together in front of him and leaned his head against his knuckles.

"Kazu always said that there was another world," he said finally after allowing one long moment to pass. "Dad and Mom too. It came from the story of the Seven Virtues. The half-goddess of light, Kari, ruled a world of angels. Her brother, Tai, ruled a world of warrior dragons." He looked up at Rika and gave her a wan smile. "I guess that bit about the angels was right."

Rika tilted her head to one side at this statement. It took only a second before a light blush crossed her features, warming her cheeks. _Did he just…?_ Rika's mind began.

"Sorry," he apologized, quickly looking away. "I don't… This is all a lot to take in. Hypnos, this place, and now what you're saying… It…does kind of add up, I think." He looked back at Rika and the girl saw something in his eyes that left her absolutely certain that this copy was very much like the Takato she knew. _Trust._ How often had she seen that look in Takato's— _her_ Takato—since they officially became friends? Or even before then, when they were just Tamers fighting off the Devas?

_Like he knew he could trust me, even if I didn't…_

"You're so naïve," she muttered, looking away. Takato chuckled lightly.

"Yeah, you've said that to me before. I get the feeling that you're a lot like my Rika. She would tell me that stuff because she…well, she's a fighter. She worries a lot. I feel like I can trust you, even if she wouldn't."

Rika snorted. "And what if all this was some stupid illusion created by a…that _magician_ you mentioned earlier?"

Takato stared down between his hands, giving her question deep thought.

"I guess… I'm just going to have to chance it for now and trust my gut."

"You're going to trust your stomach?" Rika joked, a million Guilmon jokes flying through her head. Takato smiled.

"I trust Guilmon's if nothing else," he replied as if he were on the same wavelength.

In spite of herself, Rika couldn't help but grin. "There's someone I'd like you to meet," she said. "Promise me that you won't freak out or do anything stupid."

"I don't think I can promise that," Takato admitted. "But I promise not to hurt anyone this time unless you say so."

Rika fixed him with a raised eyebrow for a moment before deciding that was about as good of an answer as any she was likely to get. Turning in seat, she looked at the mirror.

"All right, Gogglehead. It's your turn."

###

"Did he actually say…Tai and Kari? As in from the TV show?" asked Takato, leaning forward as if to check his hearing.

"I doubt he was actually referring to the actual characters," Yamaki said, running a hand over his chin thoughtfully. "In all likelihood whatever dimension created your double is using the same data as the digital world. Anything pertaining to the origins of digimon or any of the others could very well find an analogue there as well."

"I really don't understand why," Takato replied, placing his hand against the mirror. "Could it be because of our dreams or something?"

"It's best that we save further discussion for the meeting. For now, let's focus on making sure your double will cooperate."

Takato nodded, albeit reluctantly. As he continued to watch the scene, Rika turned in her chair towards them.

 _"All right, Gogglehead,"_ she said. _"It's your turn."_

"All right," the boy said, patting Guilmon on the head. "Here we go."

###

Takato and Rika walked through the streets of the city, Guilmon between them, testing the air with his flaring nostrils while behind them the Queen's escort kept a respectful distance, as per the Princess' orders to 'not get in their way'. The horse-turned-dragon hybrid somehow didn't need to be prompted as to what his job was. He seemed to sense it almost as soon as they entered the stable. Whether it was due to long experience or just recent events—possibly the smell of the Reaper Agent Tamashiro—he didn't know.

 _He always acted like he knew what was going through my mind,_ Takato had told Rika, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. _I don't know why she thinks it's because of his dragon-blood now. Besides the gods, dragons aren't that smart…are they?_

"I'm not detecting anything on my end," Rika said, breaking the silence between them. "Same for your horse. I'm starting to think this whole thing is a bust."

"There _is_ a lot of city left to go through," Takato pointed out. "I don't think we're going to find one this soon." He furrowed his brow slightly, becoming somber. "I think we may have lost the element of surprise. My teacher always believed Reapers were able to tell each other what was going on even when they weren't close by."

"Terrific," Rika grunted. "So this really is a waste of time then."

"If I still had my warning lamp from the war it wouldn't be…"

"Warning lamp?" Rika asked, eyeing him quizzically.

"Something a friend of mine made," he shrugged. "He was a bit of a wizard himself. Studied under the great sorcerer Shibumi and…" He saw Rika's eyes go wide at this. "You've heard of him?"

"Are you serious? Robert knows him! I've heard about him in our history books! He's the foundation of modern magic! My family's history owes a lot to his research and he was there during the war? He had a student?"

"Only for a little while. Henry—Shibumi's student—and I met him briefly and freed him from some kind of weird prison. He took Henry under his wing as thanks and helped out during the war. He disappeared soon after that."

"So…what? You went looking for him? Is that why you're out here?"

"No, I'm just…" Takato paused and chewed over Rika's words for a moment. "Actually that might not be a bad idea. Who knows how many more Reapers survived? If there are others…" He shook his head. "Anyway, Henry made a piece of red metal that glowed when Reapers were near during the final stage of the war."

"A piece of metal that gives away your position," Rika said in a deadpan tone. Takato chuckled.

"I know it sounds dumb, but we were launching an offensive. The enemy pretty much knew where we were anyway. We had to make sure that we knew when they were coming and if anyone had been…replaced."

Before he could continue, his stomach let out a loud growl that caused them both to raise their eyebrows in bewilderment. A small smile tugged at the corners of the girl's mouth as she looked at the knight in the eye.

"Hold that thought," Rika said, raising a finger, "and come with me." Taking hold of him by the arm, she led the knight and his horse down an alleyway and quickly Takato's nose caught a whiff of something warm and good. Something…familiar.

"Bread?" he asked as they exited the alley.

"We have some of the best bakeries this side of the mountain," the girl smirked. "I've been to the Millenium Empire so I know that theirs are second-rate."

"Ah…" Takato tilted his head to one side, having a hard time believing her. "But weren't you born here? I mean, you would think that your home makes all the best stuff, wouldn't you?"

Rika rolled her eyes. "Look, do you want to eat or not? And no, it's not just because this is my home. The palace cooks of Makino Castle can't even compete with some of the places here. Oh, they've tried, but it's no good. So we just contract the bakeries to make the stuff and send it on up. Works pretty well too for both sides."

The fiery-haired princess looked both ways down the streets to get her bearings before setting off down another direction, causing Takato to squawk and nearly trip over his feet as she pulled him along. Guilmon snorted, as though unable to believe that he was actually following these humans before continuing on after them. Takato met his gaze and shrugged apologetically.

 _Yeah, I know we have a mission,_ he thought, reading the look in the dragon-horse's eyes. _But she is a princess after all…_

Guilmon shook his head and snorted, apparently not liking that unspoken response any better than what he observed.

_He is right…_

"Um… Princess? We really should get back to our mission…"

"And what good are you going to be on an empty stomach?" she asked, giving him a sharp look.

"Okay, fair point. But I could have made myself something later…"

"You cook?"

"Uh… Would it surprise you that I grew up in a bakery before I joined the war?"

Rika almost missed a step and she stopped to look him over.

"You are strange," she said finally. "Come on already. There's this one place that I think you might like. Kind of appropriate too since it's named after your horse."

"Huh? A place called Guilmon?" Behind the knight, the horse's ears perked up at the mention of his name.

"Got that right. It doubles as an inn actually. I used to go there a lot as a kid. When my grandmother or my father couldn't take me I would sneak out to go there myself. Well, until my mom put an end to that by sending me away to school to study magic."

"Where is your father anyway?" Takato asked, genuinely curious. "I would have thought that he would be there, being a king."

Rika looked over her shoulder, a dark look on her face that caused Takato's blood to run cold all of a sudden. "I mean," he began to backpedal, "not that you have to tell me or anything. I was just…wondering."

"If you want to eat you won't ask any more questions about him."

Takato's mouth opened as if to say something, but thinking better of it he quickly closed his mouth and simply nodded. Dropping her hand from his arm, Rika continued on with Takato and Guilmon following not far behind.

###

The bread was as good as Rika said, though at the same time Takato felt that it wasn't as good as it could be. The atmosphere between the two had cooled considerably since Takato popped his question about the presence of her father.

 _Could he have been killed in a war?_ he wondered. He supposed it was possible…in fact it was highly likely given the dangers that kingship faced. _Well…_ he continued, looking down at his meal. _It's not like it's really my business anyway._

"This place is pretty nice," he said out loud, taking a gander at his surroundings. The place had a warm glow to it with excellent stylized pictures cut directly into the beams and seats. The inn certainly appeared to be doing well for itself. Far better than his parents business, that was for sure. However, there was a huge difference between this city and the small town that he grew up in.

Rika snorted somewhat dully.

"I know. You said that as soon as we got here."

Takato felt his face heat up in embarrassment. "Sorry."

"If you're sorry, than why did you say it?" Rika said before popping a piece of warm bread into her mouth. Takato did likewise, savoring the buttered, garlicky taste.

"I'm…not good at talking," he admitted. "I guess I'm just looking for something to fill the silence with."

"Not comfortable with it?"

"Are you?"

Rika shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "I don't mind it. I've had enough time to get used to it."

"Used to it?"

A young woman with purple hair arrived at their table and bowed respectfully toward Rika. "Is everything to your liking my Lady?"

"Yes, Yolei. It is very good. Well done. Could you pass our compliments on to your mother?"

"Of course," Yolei bowed again. "Will that be all?"

"Takato?" Rika asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Ah…no. No, I'm fine."

"In that case the bill would be fine."

"Oh," began Yolei with a bit of a jitter to her voice. "There's no need for the Princess of the kingdom…"

"Of course there's need," Rika said flatly, lifting her cup of tea and taking a sip from it. "The bill, please."

Looking flustered, Yolei finally nodded reluctantly and hurried away. Takato watched her go for a moment before speaking.

"She seems nice."

"She only feels she needs to be," Rika said, taking another sip from her tea. "We didn't actually get along well when we were kids. She thought I was trying to hook up with her crush, Ken, and tried to pick a fight with me. That was around the time that my mother sent me to the school." Rika placed her cup on the table and looked up from it. "I'm a princess. My face is well known here. I learned a long time ago that people only respect me because they fear what I might do to them."

Takato looked around him at the customers, noting that many of them had a tension among them. He did see when they came in that they often cast furtive looks in their direction, but it gradually disappeared as they ate their meal. Yet the tension remained all the same.

_It wasn't all from my question…_

"Did you have any friends?" he asked before he could stop himself, and he resisted the urge to clamp his hand over his mouth. Rika didn't seem hurt by this though and she looked at him impassively for a moment before picking up another piece of bread, rolling it as she mulled his question over, wondering if she should answer.

"I had a pet fox once," she decided. "Beyond her…no. At least none that I would call real friends."

Takato looked down at the table for a moment, a crazy thought occurring to him just then. It came so suddenly that he wasn't sure how it could have arisen in the first place. _Is it even right to ask? What would she think? It doesn't seem…it's not the sort of thing knights ask the people they protect. Not even princesses. Leo never asked._

Still, the thought continued to grow in his mind, becoming concrete. The only way to know for sure was to simply ask. Swallowing his fears even as they grew in opposition to the thought, he spoke.

"Would you let me be your friend?"

Lifting her violet gaze toward him as her eyebrows shot up in surprise, they held each other's attention, neither saying a thing, as if under a spell. Takato's face felt flush. In spite of feeling that the question _needed_ to be asked, it almost felt wrong to do so. As wrong as it would have been if he asked her to marry him. He didn't know why, but one look into Rika's eyes gave him that impression and he immediately felt shame for having asked to begin with.

Yolei returned and placed the bill on their table, breaking them out of their thoughts. Lifting it Rika glanced at it before frowning darkly. "Reduced price?"

"My mother requested it," Yolei said, hands in front of her apron. Shaking her head, Rika brought out her purse and drew a gold piece from it. Placing it in Yolei's hands she got up.

"Keep the change," she said, picking up her staff. "Let's go, Takato," she said, tying her purse to her belt. "We still have a job to do."

Picking up his sword and a piece of bread for Guilmon, Takato followed her out of the inn, their escort quickly falling in line behind them.

 _I am such an idiot,_ he scolded himself as he girded his sword to his belt.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A Story for Suzie

Chapter: 21

Ryo Akiyama entered the Queen's chambers and closed the door behind him. Turning, he found Rumiko sitting in front of her mirror, a stern look on her face.

"How may I serve, my Queen?" he asked, bowing his head slightly.

"Any further news?" she asked, not turning to look at him.

"Nothing as yet," Ryo replied. Rumiko pressed her lips together and nodded, though she clearly was not happy about the Prince's response.

"It's been two days," she said, getting up from her seat and moving toward him. "We've tested everyone in the court and the knight has had his silly horse have the run of the city in order to sniff out any other Reapers."

"To be fair," Ryo began cautiously, "Takato and Guilmon are not yet finished with their search. It's a big city and scents can be washed away."

"But there hasn't been any trouble since the one has been caught."

Ryo gave a dry laugh. "I think you know as well as I do that could only mean that any others have decided to lie low until the storm blows over."

Rumiko's violet eyes flashed at him but she reluctantly nodded.

"True," she said. Turning, she went over to her table and picked up a bottle of wine, pouring it into a small glass. "So we are forced to wait?" she asked, presenting Ryo with the wine. Approaching her, Ryo accepted it and took a small sip.

"For a while. I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of having Motomiya close off the gates leading out of the city."

"Is that wise?" Rumiko asked. "Wouldn't it be better if we simply allowed the agents to leave?"

"Without guarantee that they won't be returning in force?"

" _If_ what the brush knight says is true…"

"He's telling the truth."

Rumiko snorted. "You looked into the mind of his animal."

"Guilmon is smarter than you give him credit for," Ryo smiled. _Not to mention that he's taking to his new body better than anyone would have expected. If only Takato knew…_ "That aside…" Ryo took another sip and licked his lips. "…it's not as though Takato has been lounging around doing nothing. He and Rika have spoken to the guards and Takato is close to finishing his notes for Dolphin. From what I've seen they're quite extensive."

"Hmmm…" Rumiko poured herself some wine and took such a deep drink from it Ryo couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the woman. "But that's not what he's doing now."

Ryo simply tilted his head quizzically. Rumiko gave a light laugh as her cheeks began to blush from the alcohol. "I think you had best look into the matter personally. For your sake and the sake of my kingdom, you will do well to…put our dear knight in his place."

Ryo took a troubled breath, already having an idea as to where Rumiko's mind was turning in regards to the brush knight of Hypnos.

###

"Troubled dear?"

Ryo jerked in surprise as he found Lady Hata fall into step beside him.

"Troubled by the fact that I keep getting surprised by you. You're the only person I know who can do that. Well, besides Rika I mean."

"She takes after me," Seiko smiled. "Rumiko tried as a child, but I think it's a gift that skips a generation."

Ryo grinned. "So did you just happen to be passing by or are you being mysterious as the shadows you pop out of like always?"

Seiko gave him a sly, knowing look out of the corner of her eye. "Oh… I'm just heading down to the kitchens to get a bite to eat."

"No servants?"

"No. I just wanted to go there myself. I do it from time to time to stay independent. I'm certain the servants have more important things to do than attending me."

Ryo's grin widened. "You know, sometimes I wonder just how much you know about what goes on around here…"

Seiko looked away, her face betraying nothing. "No more than anyone to be honest."

"Right." Ryo shook his head, not believing her one bit. "So why do I get the feeling that you won't be surprised at all by what we'll find?"

"As I said," Seiko replied, a ghost of a smile playing on the corners of her lips, "no more than anyone."

###

His hands powdered, Takato finished a role of dough and turned it over.

"So it's ka, ki, ku, ke, ko," he said, looking over the piece of paper sitting off to his side, a small frown on his face. "But a single…ah…dot is used for…what?"

"It's _two_ dots, not one," Rika said across from him, her hands equally covered in flour and, surprisingly, her hair tied back by a bandanna to keep it from getting in her way. Reaching over she grabbed the paper and scowled at it. "There's flour on it you dork." Brushing at it, her scowl deepened as she found that her hands, covered as they were only made the problem worse. "Its role," she growled, grabbing a towel and dabbing at the flour, "is to be a diacritic sign."

"I don't even know what that means…"

Rika looked up at him dumbfounded. Honestly, she wasn't sure what to make of him. He picked up some nuances of their language quickly, but some things that were obvious to her seemed to trip him up. "We _just_ discussed it an hour ago."

"You can't exactly expect me to learn your alphabet, make lunch, and work on my notes at the same time you know."

Rika rolled her eyes. "It was _your_ idea! Seriously…do you make a habit of taking on more than you can handle?"

"I was just venting, sorry." Takato grinned at her. "I've got a lot to learn and little time to do it in."

Rika snorted. "What? Do you expect to be tossed out on the streets or something?"

"Just…thinking." Takato's grin slipped. "It's been awfully quiet lately."

Rika found herself nodding in agreement after only a moment's thought. "You're thinking like all those people in the court that my mom deals with."

"I've known some mayors who think like that," Takato admitted. "They got impatient when we couldn't get instant results. It was like watching two worlds crashing together."

"The world of the politician and the world of the soldier," Rika nodded in understanding. "Before Ryo showed up, my mother and her generals and captains kept arguing about why we couldn't just win a war whenever we wanted."

"Yeah," Takato responded, looking at her with awe. "Exactly." Taking up the bread dough he flipped it over and slammed it down on the table. "There was this one time we had to deal with a guy…a nobleman…who kept yelling at us to go attack an invading Reaper force—Searchers, Bubble types, Pendulum Feet…a _full_ army—when we had only a small squad and bad terrain to work with. Leo eventually had to belt the guy to shut him up."

"Oh?" Rika raised an elegant eyebrow. "I thought Hypnos Knights could work miracles."

"It was a bad fight no matter what. We're good but we're not _that_ good," Takato said, not looking up from his bread dough. "Besides, the Miracle Knight was tackling bigger fish. Well, more like a giant, angry chimera with a ton of arms…and…" All of a sudden Takato's nose twitched and before he could stop himself he let out a loud sneeze that blew flour all across the table. With a surprised _"whoop!"_ Rika snatched back their papers and looked at Takato with stunned amazement.

"Wh…What was…?" she began as the corners of her lips quirked and twitched. Now it was her turn to do something unexpected, even to herself. She laughed.

It began as a light rolling guffaw that quickly escalated into barely controlled snorts as she fought to control it. Looking at Takato stare at her, eyes wide and incredulous, caused her to lose it completely. Doubling over, Rika grabbed hold of the countertop to keep her balance. "Oh gods…" she breathed, wiping at a tear that formed in the corner of one eye. "You sneezed and then… _poof!"_ Looking back up at him nearly caused her to fall into another bout of laughter, but she managed to restrain it with a giggle. _That_ surprised her. She _never_ giggled.

_At least not since I was a kid…_

"You look like a fairy or a ghost," she said, pointing at the knight.

"If I'm a ghost then I must have died and you're an angel," Takato chuckled, replacing the dough on the table and re-flouring the surface. "You have a nice laugh, you know that? A person could fall in love."

Rika's humor drained away and a light blush formed on her cheeks. _Did he just…?_

"Laughter's good," the knight continued on, seeming to not notice as he worked on the dough. "Henry had a talking dog during the war and he always made jokes to keep everyone's spirits up. He was actually really annoying, but he tried." He paused to look at himself and frowned. "Actually I'd better get cleaned up first before I do anything else." He glanced up at Rika and his brow furrowed worriedly. "Are you okay? You look like you're having a fever all of a sudden."

"I'm _fine!"_ Rika said, quickly brushing the strange feeling that wormed through her stomach aside. "Are you done with that dough yet? It's like we've been here forever now."

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, just about. I just have to finish flouring it and get it shaped right and…"

"Then get on with it!" she snapped. Cocking a confused eyebrow at her, Takato hesitated for a moment before moving to clean himself up. Rika watched him warily as he went over to the sink and busied himself with the plumbing.

 _Why did he say that?_ she wondered. _Calling me an angel. Just because I laughed? Is he trying to get good with me or something like Ryo? It was only two days ago he was asking to be my friend and…_

She wanted to shake her head. In the two days that she had known him she picked up on a number of his quirks. He didn't seem like the type to do anything other than wear his feelings on his shirt. He was honest.

_Still… I'm a princess after all. That's my most valuable asset to the kingdom and the Millenium Empire no matter how powerful I am…_

She wanted to hate herself for even entertaining the thought that Takato, her brush knight bodyguard, would even…

"Who started the war?" came Ryo's sudden voice as he entered the kitchen, brown eyebrows raised as he surveyed the kitchen. Rika glanced at the flour-encrusted tabletop and shrugged.

"Ryo," she greeted simply before noticing her grandmother following closely behind.

"Oh my…" Seiko noted. "I do hope we weren't interrupting anything."

"We were just working," Rika explained, setting the papers down. "Takato wanted to make lunch."

"Why not just ask a servant to do that?" Ryo asked as Takato returned, drying his face off.

"I think better when my hands are busy," Takato said with a warm smile. "I guess I picked it up while training. Besides, Rika didn't believe me when I told her that I can cook."

"You _said_ that you grew up in a bakery," Rika said, crossing her arms over her chest. "There's a difference."

"There is?"

Shaking her head, Rika picked back up the papers and sifted through them, removing a select few and passing them over to her grandmother. "We're going to be bringing these to Dolphin when we're done here."

"What are they?" Seiko asked, looking through them. She looked mildly surprised as she looked over the rough sketches. "Ah. The notes on the Reaper…"

"My memory is pretty good, but I'm still not sure that they're finished," said Takato apologetically. "I've highlighted things to watch out for with the scouts and the best methods to take down the warrior class, especially the Horn Strikers." Takato gave a light laugh and rubbed the back of his head. "Although the Queen shooting its head off is pretty effective…"

"That's not something everyone can do," Ryo grinned, clasping the knight on the shoulder companionably. "Pretty sure those notes will come in handy."

 _"If_ there are any more Reapers," Takato said. Ryo looked at him uncertainly.

"You don't think there are?"

"Uh… Well… It's just been so quiet these past couple days. I know it's early and we're still not done searching but…" Takato shrugged. "The odds say yes, but the evidence says otherwise."

"These are well done," Seiko said, passing the sketches back to Rika. She glanced down at his work with the dough and smiled. "You're quite talented."

"Not really," Takato laughed. "Actually I had to work pretty hard back home to get bread making right, and my time with Hypnos kind of drove it home. We did a lot of rotation with food preparation for the army."

Ryo snorted. "Is the old egg-head still cracking the whip?"

"Egg-hea…? Oh! Digitamamon?" Takato restrained a laugh. "Oh, he'd be mad if he ever heard that one."

"Who's Digitamamon?" Rika asked, arching an eyebrow at the pair.

"First rule of Digitamamon," Ryo and Takato both said at the same time. "Don't talk about Digitamamon." Looking at each other as they finished, the two both laughed, leaving the shaman looking at them bewildered for a moment.

"Pretty sure you just broke that rule," Rika glowered.

"We broke a lot of rules," Ryo grinned, giving Takato a wink as the knight lifted the dough and began shaping it. He worked quickly, Ryo noticed, and within short order began to pile the dough balls onto a cooking sheet.

"Wish I had time to make Guilmon Bread," Takato said, popping it into the oven. "Hopefully after this is all over I can do that."

Behind him, Rika and Ryo exchanged glances.

"What is _Guilmon Bread?"_ asked Seiko for them. Takato perked up, realizing that he had spoken out loud he turned a bit red and gave a nervous laugh.

"Ah! It's…ah…it's kind of my family's special recipe. A tribute to the Dragon god I guess you could say. Everyone in my home village really liked it and I've sometimes wondered if other people would as well."

"I see," Seiko nodded. "Just out of curiosity what _are_ your plans for when this business with the Reaper is over?"

"Hm? I guess it would depend on whether or not Rika releases me from her service," Takato laughed. "Sorry," he coughed, seeing Rika frown slightly at him. "I guess continue what I was doing before or go home. I'm really not sure. I left home without a plan to be honest." His expression became downfallen slightly as he continued to think about Seiko's question. "I'm sure my family and friends are worried about me. I haven't sent them word or anything."

"We could send them a message," spoke up Rika, shifting and folding her arms back over her chest. Glancing at her, Ryo found himself rather surprised. Unless he missed his guess, there seemed to be something about her expression…the way she held herself with her arms…made her look uncomfortable with the topic. "Carrier pigeon or something like that. I could get fancy too and cast a spell that lets you talk to them directly."

"That one is rather complicated dear," Seiko said. "Would you like my help with it?"

Rika _harrumphed_ and shifted again. "I can do it."

"Very well dear. If you say so."

"I'm sure she can do it," Takato laughed. "I mean, so far she's been of more help to me than I have to her. She's even saved my life." He beamed at Rika who squirmed under his smile, a small blush rematerializing.

"It's no big deal," she said, pushing herself off the table. "Is there anything we can get you two since you went through all the trouble to come here?"

"I think I'd like to help myself to a little of what Takato made," Seiko said with a small smile. Her eyes fell upon him and now it was his turn to feel a little uncomfortable over someone's gaze. "Perhaps I could trouble you to make some of this Guilmon Bread you mentioned?"

"Um…" Takato scratched the side of his head. "Well, it kind of takes a little longer because of the ingredients, but I suppose…"

"It doesn't have to be now dear. I can see that you're busy after all. It's just a personal request."

"Sure! I'll make a list!"

All the while Ryo was watching Rika carefully. Something in the way she now smiled at her grandmother and bodyguard as they got along made him remember Rumiko's words, leaving him feeling almost disappointed that things had to be the way they were.

_"For your sake and the sake of my kingdom, you will do well to…put our dear knight in his place."_

_That would be the worst thing to do,_ he thought. _It won't make things easier between myself and Rika. In fact, it would only make them worse. She'll hate me for doing that to Takato._

A small grin curved on his lips as a thought occurred to him.

_Then again, maybe that would be the best thing to do…_

"Hey Takato," Ryo began. "I was wondering if you would have a practice bout with me."

"A bout?" Takato asked. "You mean like…"

"Fighting with wooden swords. A little fun to pass the time while we wait for the food to cook." He grinned at Rika whose eyes were now furrowing in confusion at Ryo's offer. He wasn't surprised. He didn't spar with just anyone really. "You'll be able to show _Wildcat_ Rika here how good you are too."

"No!" Rika exclaimed, her hands tightening into angry fists as if realizing what he was up to.

"Huh?" Takato blinked. "Why not?"

"I…" Rika's lips trembled as she fought to answer. Glaring at Ryo, she jabbed a finger at him. "You and me, outside now."

"Uh… Rika? What's going o-?" Takato stopped as the girl fixed him with a hard glare. With another wordless look at Ryo, she exited the kitchen, Ryo following behind, who cast an apologetic look over his shoulder.

"This won't take long," he said before closing the door behind them.

"What was _that_ about?" Takato asked. Seiko sighed and shook her head.

"Politics," she said simply. "Whether it's the throne or in the bedchambers, for those of royal blood it is all politics."

"Bedchambers?" Takato asked, confused. "I don't… Oh!"

"Yes, you understand now," Seiko nodded. "Those two are betrothed. In fact, your arrival here with news of the Reaper infiltrating the city may have delayed their wedding."

"I'm…I'm sorry," Takato said.

"It's all right," Seiko said, shaking her head and placing a hand on Takato's arm. "These things happen."

###

"Is there a reason why you don't want me sparring with Takato?" Ryo asked upon their exit of the kitchen. Whirling about on him with furious eyes, Rika stabbed a finger at him and her shadow shook dangerously, something Ryo took note of.

"I know what you're doing!" she grated angrily. "Mom put you up to it, didn't she?"

"I just want a friendly match," Ryo responded. This much at least was true. He had wanted to have a chance to gauge Takato's skill since he became a more regular fixture of the castle. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"There is when you plan on humiliating him to protect a stupid alliance!"

"Protective of him, pumpkin?" Ryo grinned, to which Rika flushed. To her credit she pushed through it.

"You're going to _complicate_ things, Ryo. Takato needs to feel like he has our cooperation so he can do the job we've given him! You're not helping him!"

"Not unless he beats me," Ryo returned. "You don't think he can?"

Stepping close to him, Rika jabbed a finger into his sternum. "Don't. Do it," she warned. "He's under my protection, Ryo. I won't have you messing with him to satisfy my mother or your father."

"It's entirely his decision, Rika. Besides, it's his job is to protect you. Not the other way around. He'll do that, even if he doesn't know about it." He paused before adding, "The Queen is watching you know." Lowering his voice, he continued, "Do you want her to become _direct_ about this?"

Rika's violet eyes stabbed into Ryo's azure ones as she breathed heavily, angry…furious at the Prince and her mother. "I won't _allow_ this to happen."

Ryo stepped back and turned back toward the kitchen. "It's his choice," he said. "How _direct_ do you want to be about this?"

Ryo pulled open the door as Rika pulled her fingers from her palm, her palms showing deep indentations from her nails.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A Story for Suzie

Chapter: 22

Takato lifted a wooden sword, a long hand-and-a-half type with a straight blade, and gave it a practice swing. He raised a distasteful eyebrow at it, a bit surprised by the weight. The training swords he used back home were often heavier than the very weapons he and his brethren used. He worried if he was going to end up breaking it. It felt too much like a toy.

 _The balance is good at least,_ he thought before turning to Ryo. He had his 'blade' selected and was looking at him with an expectant grin.

"Are you all set?" he asked, giving his sword a fanciful twirl. Takato gave Rika a quick glance over at Rika, who was watching disapprovingly with her grandmother, before nodding at the prince. Still grinning, Ryo led the crimson knight out into the training grounds. A number of men-at-arms were running their drills. More than a few of them tore their attention away to see what was going on.

"The Prince is about to fight that knight," Takato heard someone say, and he felt his face flush a bit at the attention they were receiving.

"Don't be so nervous," Ryo said warmly, adopting a stance and gripping his sword with both hands. "Let's just have a good time, okay?"

"Yeah…" Takato found himself nodding, adopting the same stance as Ryo. He wished he had picked up a buckler or a shield of some sort as he was more familiar with that style, but he felt that wouldn't be fair in a practice bout.

Ryo resisted the urge to shake his head. He could see Takato's discomfort in his form and he wondered if that meant the battle was over before it could even begin. _Nerves lost many a duel,_ he thought, approaching Takato with caution, his wooden blade making a few practice taps at the knight's weapon. He noticed a change in Takato's crimson eyes as he did that and felt better. _Good… He's starting to relax into it. He…_

Suddenly Takato's blade was there, stabbing past his defenses and at his face. Ryo quickly knocked it away and backed off a step, his grin broadening.

"Nice initiative," he noted. Takato laughed a little.

"Thanks," he replied. "Sorry, it's just you looked a little distracted and I just attacked instinctively."

"That's Leo's training all right," Ryo chuckled, tracing a circle in the air with his sword point. "Although I would have thought you'd be using your sword like a hammer, like he does. Your style is a bit more…standard."

"Leo's a big guy. I'm not."

"Quite true." With that, Ryo immediately attacked, his hands flowing into an intricate dance resembling a swan, slashing and stabbing, forcing Takato onto the defensive as he backed up. Ryo began to press forward, only to drop his arms at the last second before he could fully commit himself, his eyes widening in shock as Takato's blade passed where they were only a fraction of a second ago.

_Clever, going after my hands like that. Whatever he is, he's not stupid. He realizes that I've got more reach than him._

Ryo's blade swiftly rose back up and locked horns once more with Takato's, the side gliding up over it and forcing it toward the ground. Stepping forward, he kicked out at Takato's right leg. The knight groaned as the muscles in his leg seized up and hot pain blazed both north and south of the limb and it began to buckle under his weight. Moving with a speed and strength that surprised Ryo, he lashed out with one hand grabbed Ryo by the shirt. Shifting all his weight onto his good leg he dropped back and threw him to the side. Ryo rolled and came up, sword pointing at Takato, but the knight was already back up and in a guard position. His right leg wobbled slightly. Ryo attacked again, this time with an overhead slash. Takato pivoted on his good leg, countering again with another stabbing attack, but the prince easily ducked under the blade and backed away a step to regain his balance.

 _Conservative defensive style…_ Ryo thought, appraising the knight's technique. _Well, it's about what I would expect actually. He's not looking to waste energy, especially with that leg of his._

He glanced over at where Rika and Seiko stood and flashed them a winning smile before refocusing on Takato. The wobble in his leg was considerably less now, but it still would hobble him.

"I think that's enough of a warm up," he said before dashing forth once more.

###

"I should just use my magic and keep them from fighting," Rika grumbled, arms folded over her chest. Seiko merely gave her an amused look.

"Would that accomplish anything?" Seiko asked, watching the back and forth between the pair. Rika's already deep scowl now strove to darken.

"For one this wouldn't be happening."

"I don't know. I rather enjoy seeing what they're capable of. Especially your catch from the bushes. He seems to be doing quite well."

"Ryo's playing it easy on him," Rika snorted. As she watched, she saw Ryo go in and kick at one of Takato's legs, causing him to nearly fold up. Much to her own surprise she saw the knight pull the Prince down with him and throw him to the side. The pair were quickly back on their feet and, although she couldn't be entirely sure, she swore she saw a surprised look on Ryo's face. She repressed a laugh at that. _It's about time someone put him on the ground._

She watched the two look at each other for a moment, as if gauging the other for a weakness. Rika grimaced, seeing one of Takato's leg shaking—the one Ryo kicked.

 _Not good,_ she thought. _He's going to have a hard time moving around like that. Ryo's going to take advantage of it._

Sure enough, Ryo did just that, but Takato managed to both evade and counterattack, only for Ryo to dodge.

"This is stupid," she said. "My mother is stupid."

I'm sorry you feel that way," Seiko replied with a heavy sigh. ""She does what she feels is right for the kingdom, even if it's not right for others."

"Would you have done it then?" Rika gestured toward Takato and Ryo. As though it were a signal Ryo exploded at Takato, laying into him with quick, lightning-fast strikes that the knight could only just barely defend against. His injured leg began to buckle under the stress. _It's not going to be long now…_

"As a Queen, I have to consider the lives of everyone under my rule. Your mother is no different."

"I don't want to be Queen."

Seiko placed a sympathetic hand on her granddaughter's arm. "Neither did I."

Rika looked at her grandmother with surprise.

"Then…you and grandfather…?"

Seiko closed her eyes, though a smile still graced her features.

"The Prince is a good man," Seiko continued. "Believe it or not, he feels much like you do about this matter. If he could change things, he would, but his father is the one who sits on the throne of the Millenium Empire. Not him. He can only work within the limits he has set for him if he wishes to prevent blood from being shed."

Rika narrowed her eyes as Ryo's sword found its way past Takato's defenses, smashing into his good good leg, locking him down still further. "If you're trying to make me feel better about this…you're not."

"I never said I was," Seiko responded as Takato managed to catch Ryo's next strike, only to miss in his attempt to cut across his belly. They watched Ryo step back. He said something to Takato, but neither heard him. "I just don't want you to blame Ryo or your mother for your marriage. Believe it or not, they would much rather that you marry out of love than for a political treaty."

"I'd rather not be married at all!" Rika exclaimed heatedly before a sudden explosion thundered over her words. A powerful gust of wind blasted through the practice yard, eliciting a number of surprised shouts from the guardsmen and Rika grabbed hold of her grandmother to keep her from falling. Light flared about her and reached out to envelop Seiko as Rika looked up toward the source.

"What…?" she began as a massive, crimson aura snaked outward like a monstrous tail, shimmering with a deep, blood-red color. Through the dust and smoke, Rika could see the aura flexing before it spread outward, looming like a pair of great wings. The light died back slightly almost immediately, but it hung on the air, a tangible, visible threat, towering over the Prince, who stood there, shocked, holding the broken hilt of his wooden sword.

In the center of the burning, dragon-like fire, stood Takato, eyes blazing with a red light. His own sword was also broken, but he swept it up, aiming it at Ryo. At once, a blade of light rose from the hilt. His face was drawn up in a snarl and the knight crouched, like a predator preparing to strike.

"Takato…?" Rika whispered, completely taken aback by what she was seeing. This was…so unexpected. His face, so full of deeply hidden rage…and pain… Far from the dopy country boy that she had come to know. It was as though she were seeing a completely different person.

She saw him tense, and at once Rika found her voice.

_"Takato!"_

The dark visage surrounding the knight suddenly winked out of existence, restoring to him the innocent, naïve look she recognized. He seemed baffled for a moment, as if not knowing where he was or what he was doing, but the look lasted no longer than a second as realization dawned on him. Shame and horror quickly followed and he dropped the sword, its 'blade' vanishing as it clattered on the ground.

"I've…I've got to go," he said quietly before spinning on his heel and heading off, trying desperately to not look like he was running. Rika watched him go, her mind unexpectedly stuck in the metaphorical mud, unable to decide what to do. She glanced at Ryo, who turned toward her, no less stunned than she. Should she follow, or…?

"Go to him," Seiko urged, untangling herself from her granddaughter's grasp. The older woman's words proved to be enough and at once Rika took off after her knight, giving Ryo little more than a passing glance as she walked by.

###

 _I…think that was worse than my last battle with the Millenium God…_ Ryo thought, a shiver trailing its way down his spine as he saw Rika chase down Takato.

"Care to explain what that was all about?" he heard Seiko ask from behind him. Ryo forced himself to not jump in surprise and craned his head toward her.

"I…have no idea. I…we were just sparring and I began to push him a little hard and…" He shook his head, unable to say what was next on his mind. One moment, Ryo was pushing him into a corner and the next… _That look in his eyes. And that light…_ He glanced at the knight's broken sword, lying on the floor, lifeless save for a small tendril of smoke rising in the air. _He really was going to kill me._

Seiko eyed Takato's retreating back before returning her focus to the Prince.

"There was more to it than that," she said, and Ryo's head snapped up at her. "That boy…" Seiko turned. "Come with me, Prince. I would have words with you in private." She looked around them at the guards who were all picking themselves up, still looking dazed and some a bit frightened. "No one here is to talk about what they saw!" she said in a loud, clear voice. "Is that understood?"

Her eyes were cold and commanding, promising severe punishment if she were not heeded. There were many a nod of affirmation at this. With that, Seiko set off, with Ryo following after only a moment's hesitation. He cast one last look over his shoulder.

_Rika… Just what did you bring home with you?_


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A Story for Suzie

Chapter: 23

Suzie happily kicked her feet against the sofa, humming softly to herself while the TV played her favorite movie. She couldn't believe how much better she felt now since taking a drink of water. Her mother warned her it was only because of the time and that she should still get some rest, but right now Suzie didn't care. She felt good and that was all there was too it.

 _Besides,_ she thought to herself coyly. _I am westing. I'm sitting on the couch!_

Sitting in her lap, Lopmon looked up at her with some worry. Having been Suzie's partner for nearly a year gave her enough insight into the girl's mind to guess what went on in her mind. Still, she could hardly argue as long as Suzie behaved herself and didn't go charging around the house playing her usual games. Nice and quiet was the rule Mayumi enforced today. Since she was over in the kitchen preparing some soup for her little princess, the rule would not be disobeyed.

On the TV, the knight finally defeated his monstrous opponent and now nothing barred him from rescuing the captured princess. Suzie squeezed Lopmon just a hair bit harder than earlier, causing the gray-furred rabbit-digimon to grunt with discomfort. Mayumi assured her in the past that this would stop as Suzie grew older, but it seemed to take an eternity. How long wa she going to have to wait?

The knight cut the princess' bonds and swept her up into his strong arms. The two shared a powerful kiss, sealing their love, and Suzie squealed in rapture, tightening her grip on Lopmon even more.

"Suzie, don't hurt Lopmon," Mayumi scolded from the kitchen. At once Suzie's grip loosened and she turned an annoyed expression at her mother.

"I'm not!" she replied. Wiping her hands on a dish towel, Mayumi gave her a smile.

"I'm just making sure. She's not a toy you know, and I remember how you can be when you get excited."

"Mmmm…" Suzie pouted and brought her chin to rest on Lopmon's head, taking care to avoid her horns. "You're not hurt, awe you Lopmon?"

"No…" the former Deva breathed. "But could you be a little more careful when you give me a hug?" She bit her lower lip at her impertinence—a trait Terriermon had been encouraging in her so she could 'speak her mind' as he called it—fearing Suzie's reaction, but all she received in return was a warmer, but much gentler hug.

"Okay!" the girl cooed, rubbing her cheek on Lopmon's soft fur, causing no end of embarrassment for her. To think she had once been a Deva, serving with honor the highest and most powerful of beings in the digital world.

Still… She wouldn't have traded Suzie for the world to go back to that again.

Suddenly she felt her Tamer shudder, as though chilled. "Suzie?" she asked, trying to reposition her head so as to get a better look at her partner. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Suzie mumbled. "I just felt a little cold."

"Is everything all right?" asked Mayumi, looking up from the kitchen counter. No sooner did she do so, she screamed her daughter's name. A thin fog had appeared in the living room, and was now growing thicker until it enveloped Suzie and Lopmon. There came a dark cackle and then the fog dispersed, leaving behind only a pair of black feathers where the pair once sat.

 _"Suzie!"_ Mayumi screamed again. _"Suzie!"_

###

Leo looked over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing for a moment, as though he were sensing something.

"Mister… Leo?"

The wild man turned toward Jeri's questioning gaze.

"I'm sorry," he said. "For a moment there I thought…" He glanced up at the sky, seeing nothing more than a solitary, hazy cloud floating. "No. It's nothing."

"I see." Jeri swallowed and looked furtively away. "W-Well… Here we are. At Hypnos."

Leomon looked up at the tall building. Deep down he knew that the tower was larger than any other he had seen in all his long years, yet he wasn't surprised or awed by this knowledge. It just seemed to be…expected. Normal.

Everything he saw around him received the same reaction from him. Including the horseless carriages that Kazu had to point out for him to notice.

 _Such a strange world I find myself in,_ he mused, looking at Jeri a moment longer before glancing away. _And yet the only thing that seems surprising to me is seeing a friend who died. Takato… If he knew, he would surely be happy, though it would indeed be a bitter happiness._

He wondered where Takato— _his_ Takato—was. He suspected that if he found his way to this world then surely so did the Crimson Knight. Maybe this was a chance to bring him home. A chance to help him heal.

_The last time I saw him was after the battle. The light had gone out from his eyes then…_

Leo followed the 'Tamers' (a strangely appropriate name for these humans) into Hypnos, and approached a desk. Leo glanced around him, keeping a firm grasp on his sword hilt while men and women in black suits regarded him with ample concern, though presently did nothing. It seemed that, given present company, a half-naked man with a sword was the least strange thing they saw in their line of work.

"We're here to see Yamaki," Henry said simply to the receptionist, as though this were something done often. The woman—a lovely dark-haired woman named Taiko Endo—confirmed Leo's suspicions by taking a quick at the group before picking up her phone and dialing the number of Hypnos' leader.

 _"Yamaki,"_ came the voice on the other end.

"The Tamers are here to see you sir," she said, her tone, though formal, no less simple in its deliverance.

 _Yes,_ Leo thought. _It appears that this is a common occurrence._

He wasn't sure how he felt about that. Another world in embroiled in chaos. Yet from what he could see there was order here. Peace of a kind. He supposed he could live with that.

Taiko hung up the phone and dug up a number of visitor passes for the Tamers.

"Use the usual elevator," she said to them. "Yamaki will be waiting for you in the meeting room." She glanced at Guardromon and gave him a stern look. "And this time remember that digimon weighing over the elevator's load bearing capacity are not allowed aboard."

"Oh dear…" Guardromon said, casting his brown eyes down toward the floor. "I understand."

"Cheer up, you lug nut," Kazu grinned, giving his partner a friendly bump on his side with his fist. "We'll fill you in on the details when we get back. Just like usual."

With that, the group headed toward the elevator. Once more Leo felt that he should have been surprised by the seemingly magical way the doors leading into a steel box opened with the push of a button, and that he should have been surprised by the way that, upon everyone entering, it jerked once and began to ascend. The feeling of his body being pushed downward on the other hand was a bit odd, not to mention disconcerting. Still, the 'elevator ride'—as Kazu called it—ended quickly and within short order they were in a simple hallway, passing a number of weak-looking rooms.

 _What kind of sheep are these people?_ he couldn't help but wonder, taking in the environment around him. _This is the center of security for a kingdom? This place would be blasted apart with ease._

In his memory he noted that he saw no swords amongst any of the 'knights' in the building. No armor either.

_Perhaps they have means of protection that are beyond my understanding. Magic of a type like the elevator?_

He had many questions, but no answers. That would come in due time however. First he needed to meet this 'Yamaki' and determine the situation.

Stopping at one of the thin doors, Henry took the doorknob and turned it, pushing it open.

###

_Jeri…_

The name ran through Takato's mind as he rushed away from the training grounds, and with it a swarm of memories…memories he wished he could forget.

_Her cheerful laugh… Her smile… The bright look in her eyes… The way she said my name whenever I did something stupid…_

_"Takato!"_

He pushed it aside. He didn't want to think of it.

_"Do you really think you can protect anyone with your hesitation?"_

Ryo's words… His sword blows… Again that flame of anger flared up inside him. Tightening his fist, electricity sparked around it, but he forced the rage down. He nearly lost control of himself back there. He had to try harder next time.

_He's right though. I had been holding back. If I do that when Rika needs me…when anyone here needs me…then what good am I? I'll have failed everyone, just like I did be…_

_"Takato!"_

The knight jerked as something caught his ankle, nearly tripping him up. Grabbing hold of the wall, he spun around, finding Rika approaching from behind, her shadow having extended itself to snatch a hold of him.

"Do you always retreat from the battlefield like this?" she chided, her expression cool. Takato turned away from the Princess, shame washing over him.

"I'm sorry," he said, forcing himself to relax a little. "It won't happen again my lady."

Rika _harrumphed_ as she drew up next to him. "I'm not asking you to be stupid."

"It's not like that!" Takato said heatedly. She raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to continue. Drawing his hands up, he looked at them, his brow knotted in anger. "It's just…I failed your faith in me back there. I'm supposed to protect you, but I… I held back and when Ryo pushed me…I… _lost_ it." Takato's shoulders sagged for a moment before rising again. "I won't let you down next time. Not again."

 _There's something to the way he said that…_ Rika thought. Although she knew nothing about what his life was like before meeting her, she had been piecing things together steadily. _He lost someone important to him. What else is there?_

Rika's expression softened. Surprising herself, she placed a hand on his shoulder, and she felt him stiffen under her touch. She didn't release her grip though, and pushed forward.

"If the Great Dragon thought you were good enough to receive his blessing, then I believe I am in good hands, sir knight."

Takato whirled about, surprised. "What do you…?"

"It was kind of obvious," Rika replied. "You were made one of the Chosen. You carry a piece of his power." Raising her hand again, she placed it against his chest. A shining, violet aura flowed from her hand and into him, causing a symbol—a triangle with three more connected to its points surrounded by a ring—to materialize briefly before receding back into nothingness. She raised an eyebrow at it. _A very dangerous power…_ she noted. "The gods don't hand that sort of thing out carelessly. I should have seen it sooner when we met. Although _how_ you became a Chosen is…odd. The Dragon was put to sleep by the Crow god when he took control."

A flicker of a memory came to Takato, but almost immediately it was gone. "I…don't know. I…" _I think maybe he was wrong. If that's what happened._ "How do you know I'm a Chosen just because of…whatever it was you saw on me?"

Rika _tsked_ at him in amusement. Dropping her hand from her chest she brushed by him.

"Come on then, Brush Knight, and I shall educate you some more."

Takato raised an eyebrow at her. "Educate me? I know the old stories pretty well and…" Another memory pinged and his hand flew to his side. "Awww… _nuts_! I left my sword in the kitchen!"

"Like you need it," Rika smirked. "But we can make a pit stop along the way if you'd like."

###

On top of the rooftop, Rika sat in the middle of a glowing circle, eyes closed in concentration and her staff sitting along her legs. Visions swam through her mind as she finally untangled the last of the threads that had affected her vision.

 _More like fixed,_ she thought to herself. She didn't understand it, but for some reason it seemed as though whatever spell had been placed upon her, its purpose was completely different from what affected her, and it hadn't been well done—as though it lacked… _maturation._

Whatever the case was, she now saw the city as it truly was…and it _frightened_ her.

 _So…large. So many people… So many strange things._ She swallowed her fear though and focused her mind to the one thing that she wanted the most right now. Casting her mind about, she searched furtively.

Her violet eyes snapped open and the golden circle vanished completely, the elements of the design that composed it burning away.

 _There he is!_ she thought. Light flared around her and she thrust herself into the air.


	24. Chapter 24

Guardromon exited Hypnos, his eyes depressed.

 _If only I wasn't so large and heavy,_ he commiserated, coming to a halt. Around him, people began to give him wide berth, a natural consequence of being a digimon, though one that Guardromon didn't mind, if only because it ensured that he had enough space to safely fire his engines. Rotating them into flight position, fire roared forth, propelling his massive frame into the air.

If he couldn't be inside Hypnos, he would settle for its roof. He had a fondness for heights as it gave him a clear view of his surroundings; perfect for spying trouble.

A blip appeared on Guardromon's radar, and his eyes widened in surprise.

_Trouble?_

Suddenly _she_ was there; a girl wearing a strange outfit consisting of long purple gloves with black fingertips, and a sleek black sash over a silk dress of violet and gold. Her face though, round with a fire of red hair blowing in the wind behind her, was more than familiar to the android digimon.

"Rika!" Guardromon exclaimed. "Oh my… You came on your…"

The Princess merely passed a hand in front of her, and suddenly a powerful gust of wind sent Guardromon tumbling backward through the air, where he went smashing through a window.

"I don't have time for golems," she said, landing inside the building, her boots crunching glass. She looked up at the crowd of men and women that rose from their desks, eyes wide with surprise. Rika's lips moved, and although no sound came out, light flared around her, and at once the agents collapsed, falling asleep. Rika grimaced. She hadn't wanted to use two spells so soon, especially since she hadn't taken the time to revitalize her stock and prepare new ones.

"Ms. Rika," came the voice of Guardromon behind her. Turning toward the digimon, she allowed light to wash over her once more and she shifted her grip on her vajra staff. Guardromon struggled to his feet, the floor creaking under his weight. Rika winced upon hearing it and raised a hand, pointing two fingers directly at him.

"If we could just…" the android continued, but that was as far as he got before a violet beam struck him full in the chest, propelling him outside the building in a shower of sparks.

 _Three spells now…_ Rika's face darkened and she checked her bearings. _I'll have to be quick about this._

A loud ringing broke upon the air, causing the girl to flinch in surprise. Although the sound was strange, she quickly recognized it for what it was; an alarm.

 _I'll have to be_ very _quick about this…_ she thought before breaking into a run, mouthing incantations as she did so.

###

The first thing Leo saw upon the door opening was Takato lying on the floor with a crimson dragon-whelp on top of him, pinning him. With an animalistic roar that surprised everyone, Leo pushed Henry to the side—eliciting an angry cry from both him and his long-eared partner—and dashed into the room, one hand reaching for his sword while orange fire flickered around the other as it curled into a fist. Both the dragon and Takato looked up in confusion at Leo, but the Hypnos Knight didn't notice this, and instead smashed his fist into the dragon full force, causing him to fly backward and crash into the wall.

"Whoa!" came the cry of a young, red-haired girl Leo had never seen before. "What the…?"

Leo's sword whipped out of its sheath as he towered over the dragon-pup. It looked up at him in utter confusion, bat-ears wilted. It looked vulnerable, but Leo knew from personal experience that these creatures were dangerous no matter what their age.

"Hey!" came another voice from the other side of the room, this one so eerily like Takato that it caused the man to hesitate.

"Leo…?!" this one from the Takato on the floor as he rapidly regained his feet. "Leo! What are you…?"

So much noise. Leo's head was spinning, but he _had_ to strike now while the dragon was vulnerable! He…

A golden-furred fox standing on its hind legs suddenly materialized in front of him, blue eyes blazing with anger, and Leo fell back, mouth falling open in stunned amazement, all thought and confusion falling from him at once, being replaced by a sense of awe.

"The goddess…" he breathed, and his sword fell from his fingers, striking the carpeted floor with a heavy thud. Leo quickly followed suit by dropping to one knee in reverence, causing Renamon to tilt her head to one side in confusion.

"Could somebody explain to me what just happened?" Terriermon asked as he clambered back onto the shoulder of a bewildered Henry. Takato—a Takato wearing a white shirt—turned toward Henry with a nervous smile. Henry blinked upon seeing the youth.

"Um…well, I think…ah…Renamon made him stop. Foxes are considered emissaries of the fox goddess back where he and I are from."

"Is that so?" Rika asked, approaching her partner. "Does that mean Renamon can order him to jump off a bridge and he'll do it?"

"Hey! Come on!" 'Takato' placated, waving his hands in front of him. "He meant well, honest! He's not a bad guy!"

"I'm almost tempted to try anyway," said Renamon, kneeling next to Guilmon. "Are you all right?" she asked the reptile. Guilmon shook his head, trying to shake himself out of his daze.

"I don't know… I think I see someone who looks like Leomon, but that can't be right…"

"No Guilmon, your eyes do not deceive you," Renamon said, feeling relieved for her ally as she finished her inspection of his injuries. He seemed none the worse for wear though beyond a slight bruising; nothing that his usual method of treating wounds—feasting on mountains bread and peanut butter—couldn't fix.

"I apologize," said Leo. "When I entered the room, I saw the beast on top of my ally, and…I assumed that he was being attacked. Dragons are known to attack innocents in my world."

"Yeah," chided Terriermon. "But you knew that you're not in your world and that we have a bunch of digimon running around partnered with humans…"

"It was a mistake," Leo replied, raising his head toward the vulpine digimon. His face flushed a little upon meeting her eyes and he rose to his feet, picking up his sword and sheathing it. "And I see that I have made yet another mistake as well. You are not the goddess."

"No, I am not," Renamon nodded. "But should you attack Rika's friends again, I will not give you the chance to regret that mistake."

"Understood," Leo agreed before turning to the Takato next to him. He glanced over at the one wearing goggles and the strange blue shirt before returning his attention to his comrade. "A strange adventure we find ourselves in."

"You got that right," 'Takato' chuckled. "How did you end up here?"

"Do you know any more than I?"

"Well… I honestly don't know how I got here. One second I was in the forest with Rika and then…I was in a building with…another Rika."

While everyone calmed down and the two comrades got caught up, Henry's mind was already racing with urgent thoughts. He glanced back and forth between 'Takato' and Leo, his heart pounding in his chest. _This…can't be… Can it?_ His hand drifted to his green-trimmed digivice as he thought back to last night. _It sounds crazy but…the timing is too much of a coincidence. I…_

"Henry?" Jeri's voice broke the boy out of his thoughts, and he turned to find the brown-haired girl staring at him worriedly with Calumon doing likewise atop her head.

"Uh…yeah, Jeri?"

"Are you okay? You look a little pale."

"Pale?" asked Calumon. "I think he looks a little sick!"

 _"Jeri?!"_ At 'Takato's' exclamation, all eyes turned toward the knight. His eyes were wide as they fell upon the girl and he was suddenly shaking. Closing his eyes he shook his head and turned away.

"That's right…" he said in a low voice. "It's not her. It _can't_ be…"

Everyone save for Leo looked at 'Takato' with curious expressions. The warrior laid a large, powerful hand on the youth's shoulder and gave it a rough squeeze.

"No, it's not her," Leo affirmed. "Your Jeri you hold only in your heart, where she will live forever."

'Takato's' hand tightened briefly before relaxing.

"If you're _all_ through," interrupted Yamaki from the other end of the room, "I would like you to take a seat so that we may discuss this." The man pushed his sunglasses up onto the bridge of his nose, frowning as he closed up his cell phone and pocketed it. He had only been a hairs breath away from calling security. Indicating the chairs, Yamaki waited for the Tamers and their new companions to take their seats. Leo however remained standing, and folded his arms across his powerful chest. Deciding to let the man do as he pleased, Yamaki began to speak.

"I don't think we need to go into much about what is happening here," he said. "We have visitors from another world, one similar to our own, but different. The questions that we need to concern ourselves with is your companion," Yamaki glanced at 'Takato', "your world's version of Rika Nonaka, where she is, and then how to return you all to your world."

Leo turned his face toward the knight, wondering what sort of adventures the youth had been getting into since his departure.

"Not only that," piped in Rika from her seat next to the boy in question, "but if there is anything else that came from their world. We had to deal with their version of the D-Reaper today. There might be more."

At this, Takato exploded fearfully, "There are…Reaper's here?!"

"Our Takato and Rika faced one," Yamaki said. "And the incident that caused your companion Leo to appear also had one attack the others here. We are looking for more."

"Guilmon…" 'Takato' muttered. "If he were here…" He looked over at the red dragon sitting next to his double. "Um… How's his nose?"

"He can smell week-old bread buried under six feet of concrete nine miles away," Terriermon giggled. "As long as the nose knows, we can find any Reapers still in town!"

"We're also retooling our equipment to pick them up by their data signature," added Yamaki. Seeing 'Takato's' tilting head, he waved him off. "Never mind the details. Just know that we'll be able to find other Reapers regardless of the detection ability of the digimon."

Henry was barely listening to all of this. His grey-colored eyes were focused intently on 'Takato', taking in his appearance. _It's him. The Takato from Suzie's story. I'm sure of_ it. The idea was starting to sound a little less crazy to him now. All his theories about the digital world were starting to crash together. Of course. Why not? If Takato could create Guilmon using nothing more than a bunch of drawings and statistical notes than why couldn't this happen as well?

_Other than the fact that I didn't do anything that should have resulted in this. I was only running an experiment with my digivice. Nothing was scanned. There wasn't anything on the computer except the program I was running. So how…?_

Henry was interrupted from his thoughts by the sudden and loud blaring of the alarms.

"Could somebody put a momentai on that already?!" Terriermon shouted, trying desperately to protect his hearing by squeezing his ears against the sides of his head. "What the heck is going on _now?!"_

'Takato's' eyes were wide, but a small smile graced his face.

"She's here," he said, relaxing a little.

###

Impmon's hands shook as he stood on the edge of the sink, splashing water onto his face. In his mind's eye he was back in the digital world in his Mega form, his clawed hand imbedded deep in the belly of Leomon, hearing the warrior roaring in pain.

_"Why can't you see…?"_

Impmon looked up at his face in the mirror. Although he didn't look a day older than when he first showed up in the real world—and likely would look this way by the time his partners were entering college—he felt as though he had many more years behind him than he had ahead; as though time had become a weight chained to his digital body.

 _That was a ghost I didn't need to see anytime soon,_ he thought to himself, placing his arm against the mirror and leaning his head against it, staring into his emerald eyes. _I know it's not him, but that look I saw on Jeri's face when they were coming up the hall…_ Impmon clenched his eyes shut. He had been glad that he needed to use the bathroom then. Asking for forgiveness from Jeri for his actions had been hard enough. But seeing someone who looked so eerily like Leomon had been almost more than he could handle.

"I can take on Devas and the D-Reaper… But this…" Impmon opened his eyes and scowled at himself. "What am I, a coward?" Pushing away from the mirror he dusted himself off and stuck his chest out. "Yeah, we did wrong," he told his reflection. "But we've been working on making up for that, right? We may not be heroes, but the others—those pesky humans, Fox-face, Pineapple Head and Helicopter Head—they need us. So why are we lettin' 'em down?"

His confidence felt a little more restored. It wavered, but it was back. He was going to march down to that meeting room and stick it out no matter what…

The floor suddenly gave a great lurch behind him, and Impmon fell back into the sink, the motion sensors turning on the faucet immediately, spraying him down. Gagging, Impmon struggled and slipped his way back out of the sink, and stood up just in time to see the floor _warp_ and then collapse in one loud thunderous crash.

"Whaaa…?" Blinking, Impmon wondered just what the heck was going on and leaned forward, ignoring his good sense to digivolve then and there. His unspoken questions were quickly answered as 'Rika', wearing a silk dress and purple gloves, rose into the bathroom, lightning dancing around her, illuminating her pale face and giving her all the appearance of some sort of demonic goddess, fed up with his transgressions and now seeking to drag him down into the darkest depths of the digital world to punish him for his sins.

His pride however refused to be cowed by such appearances. Straightening out, he placed his hands on his hips and gave her a once over.

"You know," he began casually, "if you really had to go that bad, the little girl's room is right down the hall from where you were. It'd only take a minute to get there. You didn't have to wreck the place."

In spite of their animosity toward each other, Terriermon would have been proud of him in that moment.

'Rika' on the other hand, turned her baleful gaze on the diminutive digimon and at once her face twisted into a snarl.

 _"Servant of the Crow god!"_ she shouted, thrusting her staff outward and shooting a beam of white light at Impmon.


	25. Chapter 25

Impmon leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding the beam of light as it sizzled past him and struck the mirror. The mirror, for its part, exploded with ferocious force, forcing 'Rika' to shield her eyes as she summoned an energy barrier to surround herself from the shrapnel. Impmon was surrounded by a barrier as well, but this one of a completely different kind as his body grew and changed until, finally, upon landing, the shell burst apart, revealing his new form of Beelzemon. Rising, the Demon Lord turned his red eyes toward his attacker, fangs biting into his lower lip as he contemplated the situation.

"Hey," he began. "I don't know what's going on, but you've got to…"

'Rika', spinning around to face him, cut him off by slashing her staff downward. White fire erupted from its rings, forming into a blazing fox that crackled and hissed before leaping toward him. Beelzemon grunted as it slammed into him and bit onto his claws, shaking and twisting its head in an attempt to break his fingers.

 _Thing is solid…and strong,_ he noted. _Nothing I can't handle though._

Shifting his arms so that the arm currently being mauled took the fox's entire weight, he pulled back his free hand, balled it up into a fist, and smashed it into the creature's head. There was a loud yelp and the burning fox vanished into smoke.

"Nice 'Spirit Strike'," Beelzemon grinned. "But you're no Sakuyamon. How about we talk about this, huh? Not that I don't enjoy a good tussle every now and then, but this really ain't the place for it."

'Rika' narrowed her eyes and spread her arms outward. "What have you done with Takato?"

"If you're talking about your knight guy, I can take you to him. He's safe."

"Lies," the girl hissed, her aura increasing in intensity. "You've done something to him. To me. You've pulled us into…this…whatever this world is. I don't know what your master's game is, but I won't let him win."

Beelzemon _harrumphed._ He was starting to get a bit annoyed by these accusations. "I don't have a boss except for a pair of four year olds. Look, I don't know how things are in your world, but here things are different. I may not be the nicest of guys around, but I ain't got a problem with helping people out…if they aren't trying to blow my mug off. Now how about…?"

Raising her staff again, 'Rika' shot him with a beam of white light, smashing Beelzemon through the bathroom door. He rolled on the ground in an attempt to put out the flames that sprouted up along the length of his leather jacket, bumping into a wall as he did so. Patting himself down, he turned his smoldering gaze up at 'Rika' and bared his teeth.

"All right," he said, standing up. "You can set me on fire and shoot me all you want. But if you're going to keep this up, I'm going to have to take you outside. There are other people here that I'd rather not get caught up in this! I think I've been pretty nice about this, so I'm only going to ask you one last time. Can we just _talk_ about…?"

Light flared around 'Rika's' staff once again as she took aim.

_Oh that tears it…_

Beelzemon's body responded in kind to his attackers aura as it shone brightly, signaling his mode change. Red eyes changed to green and a pair of black wings sprouted from his back. His power now greatly enhanced, Beelzemon rushed forward quickly grabbed his assailant's staff and twisted it down toward the floor, attempting to break the weapon. The staff refused to so much as bend against his strength as the buildup of energy neared completion. His emerald eyes met 'Rika's' violet ones as he realized he didn't have the luxury of time on his side.

 _No choice in this,_ he thought, pulling it back up toward himself and pushed himself against it. _Got to soak up as much of this as I can._

He gritted his fangs and stiffened, waiting for the inevitable shock that was to come.

It didn't come from where he expected.

The light around the staff winked out of existence, causing the Demon Lord to blink, startled. However he had no more than a second to wonder what happened when pain exploded along the side of his temple, causing his vision to blacken. He felt the floor hit his body and vision returned to him. His face hurt…smarted more than anything else. 'Rika' hovered across from him, smoke rising from a glove.

 _She shut down her glow rod and just hit me with some kind of enhanced punch,_ he thought, tilting his head to one side as she watched him with her head tilted up and eyes narrowed. _Guess she's figured out that she can't go off like a cannon in a place this tight._

"All right, toots," Beelzemon said, standing up. "What's next?" His posture was strong. It seemed that even though 'Rika's' attacks were dangerous, they were having a hard time beating their way past his Mega form's durability.

Landing lightly on the floor, 'Rika got into a combat position and light again flickered around her staff. Instead of simply powering up, it took shape, forming a curved blade at the tip.

"This," she said simply. No sooner had she said that, shadows began to move from around her and the Demon Lord, forming knife-like shapes as they rose off the ground and took form.

 _Well this ain't changing anything real fast…_ he thought with some bemusement as the darkness closed in on him.

The shadows rose like cobras, pulling back in preparation to strike, and Beelzemon again prepared himself against what he knew was to come. However, before anything or anyone could move to act further, a small feather of light drifted past Beelzemon's shoulder and fell between the combatants. It floated and spun lazily until, suddenly, it burst, filling the hallway with bright light, erasing the shadows. 'Rika' bit back a curse as she staggered backward, covering her eyes.

"Ah! Wha…?" Lowering her arm, she blinked blearily. She saw a group approaching from behind Beelzemon and her eyes widened as she saw who was at the head. _"Takato?!"_

###

The knight drew up short, eyeing Beelzemon with a touch of alarm. Behind him, he felt Leo tense up, hearing him shifting to take hold of his weapon.

"The Crow god…?" Leo growled, his tone steeped with danger. Turning, he saw Jeri looking at the man with alarm.

"What…? No! That's…That's Beelzemon! He's a very good friend of ours."

Looking past the Demon Lord, he saw Rika— _his_ Rika!—standing ready to fight, a blade spell cast upon her weapon. His hand twitched, aching for his own sword or at least his shield, but he stilled them quickly, reminding himself that this was a world very different from his. Nothing here was the same. Enemies could be friends here. It was a strange thought, especially with someone here that so closely resembled the Crow god, but… His gaze hardened.

_Can I take the chance of Rika could hurt him if they're telling the truth?_

All of his instincts said no. Closing his eyes, a crimson light fell about him, forming into a single, solitary feather that blew forward, past Beelzemon and between him and 'Rika', finally exploding without a sound, dashing the shadows as they prepared to strike. The light died down, leaving only the empty hallway and one Rika, blinking at his direction.

"Ah! Wha…?"

The knight smiled at her.

_"Takato!"_

"Hey," he said, stepping past Beelzemon with a wary look. The digimon nodded to him and stepped back, folding his wings behind him. After a moment the knight returned his attention to Rika and his dopey smile returned in full force. "Sorry to make you worry."

"Takato!" she snapped. "Get out of the way! That creature…"

"…is not the Crow god. Well…he doesn't seem to be. I mean, I know he looks a lot like him but…" 'Takato' gave Beelzemon another look before refocusing on the Princess. "…this is going to sound crazy, but we're in a completely different world. Not everyone is the same here." He licked his lips nervously, his brow furrowed in thought. "I'm not really sure how to explain it…but…these people, they just want to help us get back to our world."

'Rika' looked back and forth between her Takato and the others, seeing not only her double, but the knight's as well. Light flared around her and she quickly cast a spell to see if there was anything cast over her knight as she had. Sure enough he, and the big, burly man behind him that she vaguely recognized, had the perception filter over them.

 _All it would do is make them not question what they see as much,_ she thought, remembering her own experience. _It didn't make me stupid or enslaved. Takato may be naïve but…he won't be readily controlled. Not with the Dragon god's favor guarding him._

Her gaze flickered over to Beelzemon. Yes, now that she had enough time to look him over, he wasn't the same creature as the Crow god. Similar, but not the same.

_He wanted to just talk, and he was willing to take a blast to protect others… Perhaps…_

Her gaze finally fell on the strangers behind her knight, particularly their doubles as they stood next to each other, both ready to defend their friend. _All_ of them ready. Her aura flared again and she cast one more spell to go along with her previous one. She could now see the bonds between them, tying them all together. She blinked, not expecting that. There was something about the threads between them that seemed… _familiar._ Not only that, but there was an openness to them that held no subterfuge. They were… _clean._ She blinked, and at once the threads were gone, and with it her aura.

Relaxing her grip on her staff, her blade spell vanished. Cautiously, keeping an eye on Beelzemon, she approached 'Takato' and after a moment's hesitation, pulled him to her in a powerful hug, her gloved fingers threading their way through his brown hair.

"Um…" began 'Takato', returning her hug rather awkwardly. "I take it that this means you're not going to kill anyone?"

'Rika' gave a small chuckle as she pulled away, brushing his cheek with one hand. "Brush Knight…" she whispered with a note of humor.

After a moment of silence had passed, Beelzemon smirked and looked over his shoulder at the others. "So, who wants to bet that's her version of 'Gogglehead'?"

"No bet here," giggled Terriermon.

###

Yamaki breathed a sigh of relief, at least in so far as the danger had passed and further damage could now be prevented. Clicking the lighter closed, he turned at the sound of running feet to find security rapidly approaching, guns drawn.

"Stand down," he said, raising a hand. "The situation is under control now."

The agents drew to a halt, eyebrows raised, but did as ordered and holstered their weapons.

"I need everyone in the meeting room now," Yamaki continued, turning to the Tamers and their new companions. "I'll be along shortly."

The Tamers nodded as a group and, with a meaningful look at 'Rika' and 'Takato', all cautiously filed out—the three new arrivals more so than the others, 'Rika' especially with a dark look on the group. Yamaki grimaced as the shaman and the knight passed by him. This wasn't how he did things normally, at least not when it came to situations like this. At this point however he needed to make sure everyone had some kind of understanding of the situation and right now the Tamers were arguably the best means of containment should any of their new 'friends'—however loosely the term may apply to them—displayed difficult and aggressive behavior. Beckoning one of the agents over, he flicked his lighter open. He felt a small buzzing in his suit's pocket…his cell phone.

"I want a detailed damage report as soon as possible," he told the agent, pulling out the cell phone. "Including any internal security data that we have on the doubles. Particularly the other Rika Nonaka." _The power she displayed… If we can't contain her…_

The agent nodded and immediately began directing the other agents to their assigned tasks. The blond-haired head of Hypnos flicked the cell phone open. "Yamaki," he said curtly. He frowned. "Janyu is _what?!"_

###

Suzie Wong and Lopmon looked around them as the fog began to dissipate, their reactions completely on opposite ends of the others. Suzie, in her childish innocence gazed with a mixture of curiosity and wonder, seeing nothing particularly strange about having been suddenly picked up by a mist that suddenly and unexpectedly materialized out of nowhere. Lopmon on the other hand, trained as a soldier through hard-fought experience, appeared considerably alarmed and guarded. They found themselves in a dark, throne-like room with blackened marble floors and red pillars. Oil lamps flickered with a ruddy light, giving the room an eerie glow while around them, a glowing symbol that resembled the Hazard mark found on the stomach of their digimon friend, Guilmon, began to die down, vanishing into the darkness of the floor.

"Lopmon?" Suzie asked, getting up from where she sat. "Where are we?"

A loud laugh echoed through the chamber, and both digimon and Tamer whipped around to its source, finding their eyes drawn up a mountain of stairs where, at the top, seated upon large seat of covered in spikes and riveted steel, was a tall man with pale-grey skin, a beak-like mask and a leather jacket. Behind him were two great wings folded against his back. Two eyes, blood-red, stared down at Suzie as he got up, uncurling his large, metallic claws. He grinned at the girl, running a tongue over his lips.

"Hello, little girl," he said with a resounding, gravely, husky voice. "Welcome to the tower of the Crow god. I do hope that you will enjoy your stay."


	26. Chapter 26

"Lopmon?" Suzie asked as the winged, bird-like man rose from his throne. "Why does Beelzemon look different?"

"I am not your… _comrade-in-arms_ ," the Crow god said, flapping his wings and descending toward the girl. "I am not a digimon either. I am far, _far_ more than such beasts could ever hope to be. I am the god of Crows; the Yatagarasu; the will of heaven made flesh; the wheel upon which all life revolves." Black energy coiled around his talons as he came to a stop before them and flapped his wings once more. "I am… _death_ and _darkness._ Hearken to my words child of worlds…child of _dreams_. Hearken and tremble."

Lopmon stepped protectively in front of Suzie while the girl tilted her head to one side questioningly.

"Do I…know you?"

The Crow god smirked, touching down on the floor. "You did when your brother began his story, but I was aware of you long before then." He glanced down at Lopmon. "Fear not for your partner, creature. I do not mean her any harm. She is an author of an existence most grand. Such a gift is far too…precious to place in danger."

Reaching out, the bird-man brushed a talon against Suzie's cheek and then quickly retracted it to show that he meant no harm. Lopmon gritted her teeth, not feeling the least bit convinced by this display. There was something about this man that sat wrong with her.

The Crow god returned his attention to Suzie. "Would you like to have something? Food? Drink? What does your heart desire?"

"Ahhh…" Suzie looked down uncertainly at Lopmon and then back up at the Crow god. "I don't understand…"

The Crow god's expression became almost fatherly and jovial. "That is all right. You will in due time." Raising one hand, a sphere of light materialized before forming into a ball of glass. "Look into this." Presenting it to the young girl, Suzie took it gingerly, cupping it into her small hands. Peering into it, her eyes widened with delight as she saw her family in the kitchen, laughing as she marched after Lopmon and Terriermon, the latter of whom was stepping on the former's long ear. The scene was a familiar one, pulled directly from her memories shortly after the Parasimon invasion. The scene shifted again to when the partners returned from their exile. Suzie was crushing Lopmon to her, crying loudly, more than vocalizing the emotions pent-up in the group as a whole, glad that their other half had at long last come home.

"Such beautiful memories," intoned the Crow god, smiling. "And your fondest wishes came true." He paused and his expression became contemplative. "They all can, Suzie. All you have to do…is wish."

Lopmon watched her partner, uncertain as to what to do in this situation. This…entity… She wasn't certain what to make of him or his intentions. Yet, in spite of suddenly abducting them he hadn't harmed them. He offered them instead…gifts.

"I can…wish for anything?" Suzie asked, hefting the orb in her hands. "With this crystal ball?"

"Of course," the Crow god smiled. "You can even go home now if you wish."

"Suzie…"

At once the Crow god's expression darkened, but only for a second, as his and Suzie's eyes went to Lopmon.

"What is it Lopmon?"

Lopmon's brow furrowed as she regarded the Crow god with suspicion. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why?" the Crow god asked, sounding rather surprised. "Why not? A gift between worlds as a gesture of good will needs explanation?"

"But why…this? Why us? Why did you need to capture us to do it?"

"Capture is such a harsh word," the Crow god huffed, folding his arms over his chest. "You are free to leave whenever you wish. I am not keeping you. I merely wanted to say hello, and I did not want to alarm anyone. The others in your group seem to be rather…testy of late, especially with regards to the presence of outworlders, be it from the digital world or mine. Would you rather a fight break out in the streets, harming innocents?"

"No…" Lopmon bit her lower lip, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something off about this.

"I merely wanted to say hello," he said, offering the digimon a little bow. "Our worlds are meeting for the first time. I understand that your friends are having…difficulties with some of my world's denizens on your side. If you would like, I can assist you with dealing with them. Consider it as another _gift_ from my world to yours."

Lopmon tilted her head to one side, remembering lines from a story she read once. _"I fear the Greeks and their_ gifts."

"I would like to talk to Suzie alone."

"Very well." With that, the Crow god turned and flew into the air. Lopmon watched him return to his throne before looking over at her partner, and the crystalline orb still in her hands.

"Lopmon?"

"Suzie… Remember what your parents told you about talking to strangers?"

"That we shouldn't accept candy from them?"

Lopmon nodded. "There is…something that doesn't feel right to me about him. I don't know if we can trust him."

"But he gave me such a pretty gift…" Suzie looked deeply into the orb and watched as an image began to form within. It was small, brown-furred, and fuzzy…

"Suzie!"

"Huh?" The girl dropped her gaze from the ball and looked down to see Lopmon looking wild-eyed at a small, brown-furred rabbit, its mouth working on a carrot. Suzie's eyes widened and she squealed with delight and she nearly dropped the ball in her excitement.

"Oh it's so _cute!"_

"Suzie!" Lopmon's ears went out, cutting between her partner and the rabbit that just appeared from out of thin air. The girl looked at her, surprised at her alarm. The rabbit-digimon relaxed her ears, feeling almost ashamed of her outburst. She couldn't help it though. She felt increasingly worried about their being here, in this other world and at the mercy of this 'Crow god'. She sensed something…some great power lay behind him. It was eerily reminiscent of the Sovereign digimon. She would not be able to stand against him if they had to fight.

"Let's just…go home," she said after a moment. "Go home and talk to the others, okay?"

Suzie looked almost disappointed, but seeing the concern in her partner's face she nodded. She may not understand why her partner was acting so peculiar, but she trusted her all the same.

"Um… Mister Crow man?"

Darkness fluttered behind her as the Crow god suddenly materialized behind her.

"You called?" he asked in a gentle voice. Suzie spun around, surprised, but quickly recovered.

"Um…" She swallowed nervously, feeling her heart banging away in her chest. He came up behind her without warning. Suddenly she wasn't sure that she liked him anymore. "Lopmon and I would like to go home now."

"In that case…" the Crow god gestured toward the crystal ball she held. "…make a wish."

For a moment she stared at the Crow god, uncertain as to what to do. She had made many wishes in the past…prayers and such.

_Maybe if I close my eyes…?_ Doing just that, she clutched the ball close to her chest.

One second.

Two.

Suzie and Lopmon vanished from view.

The Crow god's smile grew and he folded his arms across his chest in satisfaction.

"Thank you for playing your part in my game," he said before summoning another crystal sphere, this one surrounded by a black aura. "I appreciate it very much."

**###**

"Mr. Wong, access to those files is strictly forbidden…"

"I don't _care!_ I _have_ to find…"

"What is going on?"  
Janyu and Riley both turned at the sound of Yamaki's voice as he entered the main control room, his expression dark, but carefully schooled to stillness.

"Yamaki…" Riley breathed a sigh of relief, wiping a hand across her forehead. Yamaki nodded to her as he approached.

"Mr. Wong…" he began before adopting a more informal tone, seeing that the man was upset. "Janyu. I'm sorry to hear about your daughter."

The man's eyes flickered over to Tally, who was still seated up in her chair. The woman peeled off her visor and breathed a heavy sigh of her own. She had been locked in a war of computers with the Monster Maker, barely staying one step ahead of him when she saw what he was doing. Janyu dropped his gaze.

"So you know…"

"This isn't the answer, Janyu," Yamaki said. "I thought you would have learned that from my experience."

"She's my _daughter,_ Yamaki!" Janyu returned angrily. "Twice… _twice_ the digital world has taken her. I can't…" Janyu fought for some measure of self-control, his body trembling in rage and fear for the safety and wellbeing of his child. Finally, running a hand across his face, nearly knocking off his glasses in the process, he gave an angry cry and slammed a fist down on the edge of a nearby control panel. "I _have_ to find her." He met Yamaki's eyes levelly; they were narrow, almost dangerous looking. "She nearly died the last time. I can't allow that to happen."

Pushing past him, Yamaki looked at the screen the man had been laboring over. It displayed a circle within which two smaller circles rotated around a red dot. Yamaki recognized it for what it was. _Juggernaut._

_A blemish on my record,_ he thought to himself. _But at least one that became useful to correct my mistakes._

"We'll find your daughter, Janyu," he said finally, turning off the screen. "I can promise you that. But we cannot rely on this to do it. Juggernaut has too many flaws. It's too dangerous to the digital world for us to use except in dire need. The first time I used it I nearly caused a war between the two worlds that would have most certainly devastated humanity and led to the extinction of the digimon. We cannot make that mistake a second time." He turned to Riley. "Riley, send out the new tracers and scan the network. Suzie would have left a digital footprint for us to follow."

"Yes sir," Riley nodded. Giving Janyu a sympathetic look, she turned to head back to her seat.

Yamaki glanced at Janyu. "We still have the base data plan Dolphin created for the Arc. We can get to work on that and have it ready in time for when we locate your daughter."

"I…" Janyu looked over at the control panel behind him. If he refused, Yamaki would have him removed from the building. He had the authority, and he had the reasoning. Juggernaut was too powerful to use. He knew that, but…still.

_"Are you willing to sacrifice your son for artificial life?"_ he remembered Yamaki asking him when the Deva attacks reached their height. Time and time again it seemed that the digital world was determined to test his faith on that question, first with Henry, then Suzie, and then the whole of the world. Now it looped back around to Suzie once again.

How far was he willing to go for digimon and, by extension, all artificial life?

At that moment, an alarm sounded, alerting everyone in the control room that a bio-emergence was eminent.

**###**

"Hey, where's Yamaki?" Kazu asked as everyone sat themselves down. "He was right behind us, wasn't he?"

Henry barely heard the boy as he watched Takato and Rika's doubles carefully. He was almost certain now about who they were.

_It…can't be possible…can it? It just doesn't make any logical sense! Actually that's…that's a bad argument when it comes to the digital world and digimon. I pulled Terriermon out of a game and Takato created Guilmon, but…what did I do that created these two? Or the Reaper duplicate? And what if there are…?_

"Hey! Earth to Henry! Are you in there?"

"Huh?" Startled, Henry blinked up at Terriermon, who was waving his ears in front of his face. Henry's vision was soon eclipsed by the rabbit-like digimon as he dropped his face down in front of him.

"It's about time. You've been daydreaming about as bad as Takatomon for some reason."

"Hey!" they heard Takato exclaim in an insulted tone. Terriermon giggled.

"Well it's true." Looking back at his partner, Terriermon adopted a worried expression. "You haven't been looking so good, Henry. It's like you've got something eatin' ya. What's up?"

Henry shook his head and stood up. The others, who hadn't been paying attention to Terriermon's now all turned toward him, not necessarily curious, but his movement catching their attention all the same. Henry took a careful breath to steady his nerves, wondering just what the reaction would be, especially Takato and Rika's. He especially doubted Rika would take it well, all things considered. First thing was first though.

_I can't just think my way through this. I have to know for sure._

Turning to the Takato and Rika duplicates, who were sitting a bit further away from the others and closer to the door, Henry began to speak.

"Ah…Rika? Takato? Can I ask you some questions?"

'Takato' and 'Rika', as well as their original counterparts, both exchanged glances.

"You may," 'Rika' said after only a moment of consideration. Henry steadied himself, very aware as to how he was the center of attention right now.

"How did the two of you meet?"

"That's a weird question," Kazu said, cocking his head to one side.

"Well, Henry's a weird guy," replied Terriermon, though his voice lacked its usual jovial tone. He sounded curious.

"That's a fact," Kazu agreed. "He's crazier than a fruit bat after all. I mean, he's _got_ to be if he has you for a partner, and…"

"Kazu," interrupted Renamon from her spot in the corner of the room next to Rika. "Perhaps if you allowed Henry to continue, he will elaborate on his reasons for asking."

Henry caught Renamon's eye and nodded his thanks to her before returning his attention to the duplicates.

"Sorry about that. But…how did the two of you meet?"

'Takato' barked a nervous laugh. "Well… I guess you could say that it started with a dream…"

At that, Rika— _their_ Rika—started, an alarmed look flashing across her face, but it only lasted for a second before she schooled her face to stillness. Nonetheless, she shifted her arms around herself, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"…but we first met when I was fighting a dragon. She saved my hide…and Guilmon's."

"Saved me?" piped up the crimson dinosaur, but Takato patted his partner on the head, laughing lightly.

"He meant _his_ Guilmon, boy."

"What order do you belong to?" Henry asked. 'Takato' raised an eyebrow.

"Hypnos."

Henry felt a cold pit form in the bottom of his stomach. He had more questions, but he felt that they had become suddenly irrelevant.

_One more…_ He turned to 'Rika'. "The country that you're princess in… Would it happen to be named _Makino?"_

Both Rika's looked at him more fully now, a suspicion forming that he knew much more than was originally thought.

"Henry?" Rika asked, shifting again and placing her hands on the table. "What's going on?"

"Yes," 'Rika' replied carefully, regarding her double for a moment before refocusing on the half-Chinese Tamer. "Yes, that is the name of my home. How do you know this?"

That was it. That was all the proof he needed to know that he was somehow involved in the duplicates being here. But the question was _how?_

_Oh no…_ he thought as comprehension dawned on him. _My program… I had it running while I was telling the story…_

His horrified expression had quite the impact on the others, as now everyone had gone silent, seemingly waiting for something… _anything_ from their friend to happen that would break it. Even Kazu didn't dare interrupt.

The alarms from their digivices, and that of Hypnos, signaling an impending bio-emergence dared enough for everyone.


	27. Chapter 27

Takato could only describe his emotional state as one of awe as Rika led him through the castle library. _Books!_ So many _books!_ The process of making paper was well known in the ranks of Hypnos, but even he was unprepared for how much of it the Makino castle contained. Rika gave him a sidelong glance that showed amusement, and she crooked a finger at him playfully.

"Come along, brush knight. The realm of words waits for no one, even one such as yourself."

"S-Sorry," Takato quickly apologized, falling into step behind her. "It's just… This place is so _huge!"_

"My grandmother took pride in knowledge," Rika explained. "She made it her first priority to obtain as much of it as she could and make sure it was made available to anyone who wanted it. She obtained a printing press during the final years of her reign from a country beyond the Millenium Empire. It's taken a bit of time to catch on though."

"A printing press?" Takato asked, tilting his head to one side, raising an eyebrow. Rika nodded.

"It makes copies of books," she clarified. "Without being handwritten."

Takato's eyes widened at the idea. "You're joking."

Rika shook her head, her smile growing. "I'll show it to you later, if we have a chance. For now, there's something I want to show you."

Passing through the bookshelves with the ease of familiarity, Rika led Takato through twists and turns until finally pausing upon one. Her eyes only had to scan its contents briefly before reaching up and plucking a blue-covered book from off its perch. A quick whisper of a spell and the book opened, pages flipping until she found the page she was looking for, a picture of an azure, snake-like dragon surrounded by chains and glowing orbs.

"There are four Great Dragons in the world," Rika began. "Or rather there were. Their line of descent can be traced back to this one, who has long since passed from the world. The current Great Dragon, a child of the previous two, is one whose form is said to be a mystery. He is either a warrior that defends the helpless, or a monstrous beast of chaos that knows only destruction." She glanced at him. "He is sometimes known as a child as well. The playful 'Guilmon' who is quick to make friends."

Takato nodded, smiling. "That's the story I grew up with. It's said that he's friends to children who are often alone, and he leads them on adventures."

"Were you alone…Takato?" Rika asked, her voice pausing briefly before saying his name. Takato shook his head, laughing lightly.

"Nah. I had friends and family. I had…" His face darkened for but a moment. "…someone I cared about. Life wasn't easy, but it wasn't too hard. At least not until the Reapers came. But I did want to go on an adventure…see the world." He looked as though he were about to say something more, but decided to return to the topic at hand. "But what does this have to do with my being a Chosen?"

"Have you heard the story about the _Dance of the Kitsune?"_

"Sure!" Takato chirped, his smile widening. "We had a festival about it every year. The Dragon god and the Fox goddess met. They fought at first and then fell in love. Jeri and I were part of the play a year before the Reapers arrived. She played the role of the goddess."

"Let me guess," Rika began coyly. "You were the Dragon god?"

Takato barked a laugh. "No. My friend Kazu got to play that role." Takato's gaze became wistful as he remembered that day. "She didn't like it, but later Jeri reenacted a scene with me and…" Takato trailed off, his wistful expression changing once again and he blushed fiercely. "Ah! Sorry! I didn't mean to…um… What are we looking for here again?"

Rika shook her head, still giving him an amused look. "It's amazing the direction your mind goes in. Anyway, the Dragon god had been in competition with the Crow god for control of the land. The Crow god desired the Fox goddess, but was spurned every time. Jealous, he cast a spell during their wedding, trapping them in a world of dreams." The book slammed shut and Rika directed it back to its spot on the shelf. "And that is all to their story. Except that every so often champions arise bearing a fragment of their power. The Lord of Courage and the Duke of Friendship for example…"

"The White Paladin," Takato breathed, touching his chin thoughtfully. "My teacher Leo mentioned stories like that in the past…" He looked back at Rika. "But…they were all princesses and princes; lords and ladies. I'm none of those things. Until the war, I was just a son of a vendor."

Rika shrugged. "I do not fathom the will of the gods, but so far you have proven up to the task. And there is the fact that you seem able to walk between the worlds."

"Huh?"

"When you first appeared to me?" Rika asked, pointing at him. "You were as a ghost. You were in the realm of dreams."

Takato thought back to his dream. "I…guess? I mean, yeah, you're real and you're in front of me, but…"

"But?" Rika raised an eyebrow at him, and the knight ran a hand through his hair.

"I…don't know? I'm not sure what to believe about it. I've never been able to control my 'visions'. They just happen, and when they do…"

"When they do…what _?"_ Rika pressed, curious as he trailed off. Her brush knight was something of a puzzle to her, and if the Dragon god was involved in his…oddities, she wanted to know why.

Takato scratched the side of his face in embarrassment. "It...It's nothing…" he replied halfheartedly. Rika resisted the urge to roll her eyes. There were times that her knight could be abnormally thickheaded about things. Before she could pursue the thought any further, a light flared beside them suddenly, and the form of Rumiko Nonaka materialized out of thin air.

"My…My Queen!" Takato gasped, already going down to one leg, but a firm grip on his shirt from Rika quickly put an end to that.

"An astral summons," she grated under her breath before speaking up. "What is it that you want, _Mother?"_ she asked sternly as Takato cast her with an uncertain look. "If this is about what happened on the training grounds…"

_"You are to report to my chambers immediately,"_ Rumiko ordered. _"There are things that need to be discussed."_

With that, Rumiko's form winked out of existence, leaving the two of them alone in the library once more. Rika heaved an annoyed sigh and inclined her head.

"So much for this little outing," she grumbled. "I guess this was a little too much to hope for after all." Turning, she began to head back the way they came. "Come. We'd better go see what she wants."

Takato gave one last look over his shoulder at the book before following his princess.

"Now what about what happens with your visions?" she asked after a moment.

"Hmmm?" Takato raised an eyebrow at her before remembering their conversation. "Oh. Yeah."

"Did you think I was going to let you forget about that?"

"No, I guess not." He rubbed the back of his head, the anxiety on his face increasing. "It's just…when I've had those visions it's usually before something terrible happens."

Rika smirked. _"Terrible,_ huh? Like that hasn't been applied to me before."

"My lady…"

"It's 'Rika', brush knight. You'd do well to remember that, lest I show you how _terrible_ I can be." Reaching out, she flicked his nose, causing the knight to draw up short and blush ferociously.

"I'm _serious!"_ he said in exasperation, and now it was Rika's turn to come to a stop. There was something about the tone in his voice… _"Rika,"_ he continued, "I've…I've never given much thought to visions. I always thought that they were for the superstitious and…and I'm low-born. The gods don't normally smile on people like me. But bad things do happen when I have them. I never know what they mean until it's almost too late."

Rika regarded him for a moment before resuming their trek. "Then I suppose it's a good thing that you're here then."

"That's not what I meant," Takato grated, quickly catching up to her.

"As my bodyguard, it's your job to prevent terrible things from happening to me. As a Knight of Hypnos, it's your job to fight those terrible things that plague the world. Would you run from that?"

"I… No!"

"You're here. You're helping us with the Reaper problem. That seems to fit your prophecy of doom."

Takato groaned. "I'm not going to win this one, am I?"

"I wasn't aware that we were fighting about anything at all." She smirked at him again. "Not that you would have won anyway."

They continued on in silence for a while before Takato spoke again. "I…guess that I am…concerned though."

"About how trouble follows you and your visions?"

Takato nodded. "Yeah."

Rika waited for him as they turned a corner and began to climb a series of stairs.

"It's just… It's been too quiet. I guess I'm too used to things going from bad to worse and then to even worse. That was during the war though, so maybe I'm being paranoid?"

Rika furrowed her brow. She remembered Takato mentioning something similar earlier in the day to Ryo. Perhaps there was something to it?

"We should make a quick stop at my room before we see my mother," she said.

**###**

The smell of hay was the smell of home to Guilmon. Oh, he much rather preferred to be outside, eating all the delicious grass to his heart's content, running around and enjoying the horse life to its fullest, but there was something calming about the smell of hay. Shelter, dry ground, always knowing where the next meal was coming from… Craning his head, his mouth grabbed a fistful of hay between his teeth and he tore it loose, chewing it over…thoughtfully.

_Thoughtfully._

Guilmon was rapidly becoming aware of the changes going on within him since becoming part dragon. Every day was a new learning experience for him. The way his coat of scales changed color in the sun… The changes in his eyesight… Just to name a couple things.

Today though brought a new lesson.

Tossing his main, he ducked his head and slipped out of his halter, the rope falling away as his body took on a ghostly form. He whickered in a kind of devious excitement and bounded out, slipping through the stable walls in the same manner. He felt… _cold…_ from this newfound ability, and something in him told him that he shouldn't use it for very long or very often, but for now he went with it, becoming lighter than the air around him, his scales subtly hiding him from view while his ghostly appearance added to it.

He was free to roam the city.

Free to hunt for Reapers.

He neighed in excitement as a feeling that was almost a thought came to him.

_Takato would be_ so _proud of him when he brought back a Reaper corpse._

**###**

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Ryo asked Seiko upon entering her chambers.

Seiko waved a hand between them, and a blue aura swept around the room. "There," she said. "We can talk without my daughter listening in on us. We shouldn't keep this blank space up for very long though." Turning to Ryo, or rather the gem he wore, she smiled.

"Great lord of time," she greeted kindly, causing Ryo to look at the woman sharply. "I see you are doing well in your new service."

A small flame sparked from within the gem and from it emerged a chortle.

_"If you can call it doing well. I have fallen far."_

"Your kind fell long and hard," Seiko nodded in agreement.

"What are you…?" began Ryo, but the jewel shook as if in irritation.

_"Do not ask such pointless questions, Millenium Prince. We don't have the time for such nattering."_

"Even though we have already engaged in pleasantries," Seiko said in bemusement. "But you are right. I take it that you both know what Takato is?"

_"We do,"_ Milleniummon replied, to which Ryo nodded in agreement.

"A Chosen."

_"He is marked. Dangerous. He is not part of the treaty. He has no royal blood within him. Such power could easily save or damn. And he is the Chosen of the Fourth Great Dragon."_

"And he is more," Seiko added, causing Ryo to raise an eyebrow. "A Dreamer. I suspect that is why he is marked."

A puzzle piece clicked into place for Ryo.

"The Dragon god had to have been desperate to give that kind of power to someone not bound by the treaty and sacrifice. The Crow god…" Ryo blinked. "The war in the north… Are you saying that it was started because he sensed the marking of a Dreamer?"

"I say no such thing," Seiko said, shaking her head. "I'm not even sure that was the case, but now that you mention it, it is possible that we will be seeing the war coming here in another form. Takato mentioned details of the war when he came here, and you have looked into the mind of his steed…"

Ryo could only scowl in amazement at how much the former Queen knew. _She hasn't lost her touch…_

"…so whether the Crow god knew or not at the start," Ryo continued for her, "he knows now what's going on and who he'll want to target."

_"The Queen is already not happy with him,"_ Milleniummon noted, his jewel bouncing upon Ryo's chest. _"She believes him to be a threat to Ryo and Rika's marriage."_

"And she would be right," Ryo acknowledged with resignation. _Although I've played a role in that as well…_ "I don't see this as ending well."

"Nonetheless," Seiko said, "we will need to protect him from the wrath of the Queen."


	28. Chapter 28

Something was wrong. Very, very wrong.

Guilmon had been on the prowl, rejoicing in his newfound mobility and using it to great advantage. During his earlier trips out through the city with his master and his newfound companion, he noticed the subtle scent of Reapers, but nothing definite. There was the stink of a dead Horn Striker, but that was an old scent from long before he and Takato arrived. This other scent was quite recent.

Yet for some reason not a single one of them belonged to a human. All the humans went about their daily life with little thought and not a single one of them made the horse agitated. Every one of them smelled exactly as humans did.

What was going on here? The thought was not really a thought so much as it was a feeling; a _primal_ question that needed no words to be understood. Lighting atop a roof, Guilmon tossed his head and whickered, looking around him for something… _anything_ that could help him understand.

If only Takato were here, then perhaps he could…

Guilmon spotted something out of the corner of his eye. Craning his head he zeroed in on it, finding a rat sitting on the rooftop, being far more still than such an animal would normally be. He had almost missed it; it was like a statue, just…sitting there. Doing what?

Guilmon crept closer, his feet making next to no sound as the dragon part of him took hold, making him little more than a whisper on the wind. Guilmon took a deep breath and then his eyes widened in sudden realization. _That scent!_

With a loud whinny, Guilmon tore at the rat and just as soon as it realized he was approaching, stomped down with a hoof hard and sure. There was a loud squelching noise as the creature's body was crushed. Crimson liquid seeped from behind fur and broken flesh, but it quickly rose up and began to take shape. Guilmon pulled back, the pieces to the puzzle coming together. It now knew why they had been having difficulty locating Reaper Agents. They hadn't been infesting humans. They arrived here too vulnerable to do something like that so openly. Instead they began taking over the one thing most people overlooked. The one thing that followed humans no matter where they went.

The rats.

The infestation of cities had become infested.

The Reaper Agent had taken up a new form, though still somewhat limited by the mass it inhabited earlier. It now appeared as a serpent with a long, arching body that rose up, fangs bared. Guilmon snorted and at once light flared from his mouth. A red sphere of fire shot forth and struck the Reaper dead center, detonating with explosive force, setting it afire and causing it to topple over and toward the streets below. Guilmon followed after, sending another shot after it. People screamed and ran for cover, but Guilmon ignored them, focusing on destroying the Reaper with everything he had. Its broken, ruined form struggled to rise up, but Guilmon quickly crushed it back down with a hoof upon landing. The Reaper shrieked pitifully as its body snapped in two and Guilmon reared back, spitting another blast at it and ending its miserable existence forever.

Guilmon stood there for a moment, waiting for the fire of its corpse to die down to make sure that it _stayed_ dead. Reapers died like everything else but were notoriously deceptive at times about their mortality.

Nothing but ashes remained.

Taking one last swipe with a hoof to scatter the ashes, Guilmon turned and raced toward the castle. He needed to find Ryo and the god that lay within his jewel.

**###**

"Why is everyone staring at me?" Takato asked as he and Rika made their way down the hall toward the Queen's chambers. Fastidiously he adjusted the blue fabric tied around his arm—something Rika gave him when they stopped off at her chambers before moving on as a sign of his service to her.

"Perhaps word of your 'sparring match' with the Millenium Prince has gotten around," Rika suggested. "You certainly made quite the impression with your display."

Takato did not like what that thought entailed. _Here I am, squashed between two nations that are trying to form an alliance, and I'm causing trouble._

His bit the inside of his cheek as his gaze fell on Rika. _She and Prince Ryo are supposed to be married to seal that alliance. Ryo needs the respect of the people if he's to help rule this kingdom and his empire…_

Around and around his thoughts went. He just couldn't figure it out. What was the point of giving him this…what was it she called it again? Her favor? What exactly did that mean? She said it would help him, but with the way everyone's eyes were on him he got the distinct impression that all it was doing was complicating things.

A part of him thought back to stories he heard about princesses and ladies giving knights a ring or some such as a way to show sign of romantic interest.

_That's ridiculous. She's already getting married and…and she hasn't known me for that long anyway. Why would she care at all about me like that?_

The two of them came to a halt before the doors that led to Rumiko's chambers. Takato felt as though a heavy weight had fallen across his shoulders.

_After all, it's not like I have anything to offer her. I may be a knight of Hypnos, but I'm an errant and a peasant by birth. Chosen or not, I'm…nothing special._ I'm _nothing._ In spite of Rika's words earlier, Takato felt that this much at least was true. People born low in status could offer very little to those of the nobility who protected them, and Takato was born very low in status in a land that not only barely qualified as a kingdom, but was now ruined by warfare.

That wasn't all there was either. A flash of amber and Takato pulled one hand into a tight fist. _And even if I was,_ his mind continued, _I couldn't give my heart to her._

Rika opened the doors and Takato quickly banished such thoughts. The Queen demanded his full attention now.

"Mother," Rika greeted, inclining her head while Takato bowed deeply behind her. Rumiko sat in the middle of her chambers, an orb resting on a pedestal, swirling with color. As Takato watched, the orb's swirling slowed and came to a still before darkening.

"Thank you for coming," Rumiko said, though her tone was stern and dark. She glanced at Takato's arm and narrowed her eyes at the blue cloth wrapped around it. "Although I would have preferred it if you arrived sooner."

"Seconds count, don't they?" Rika said, trading barbs. "Such as the time lost being spent here instead of looking for the Reapers, or clues as to where they came from."

Takato looked back and forth between the two women, amazed that they were so open about their hostility in front of him. Rumiko's eyes rose from Takato's arm and met his gaze.

"Good knight," she said in a falsely pleasant tone. "If you would give me a moment alone with my daughter…"

"Ah…" Takato began uncertainly. "I don't mean any disrespect, as you're the queen, but…my place is by your daughter's side…"

"That's all right, Takato," Rika said, turning toward him, ignoring Rumiko's surprise. "I'd rather you didn't see this. Please step outside."

Takato opened his mouth to protest, but closed it quickly upon seeing the sharp look in Rika's face. Nodding reluctantly, he did as he was bid, closing the door behind him, leaving the two women to turn fully toward each other now.

"You have him well trained now," Rumiko observed, getting up from her seat.

"He's a fast learner," Rika reposted. "But he has an annoying habit of putting himself down."

"As he should. He is below your station, Rika. You would do well to remember that as he does."

Rika's eyes flashed at that biting remark. "Let's drop the pretenses, mother. You don't care that he's some brush knight that I picked up in the wilderness. _Father_ was like that when you met him. You only care about my wedding and what you get out of it. _That's_ what this is all about. _That's_ what the deal with Ryo challenging him was all about." She almost smirked at her mother, daring her to challenge her assertion.

_To think that she's afraid people will think better of Takato than Ryo. Thanks to her, they probably will._

If Rumiko was shocked at Rika's words, she didn't show it as she turned her back to the girl and headed toward her wine cabinet.

"The line of descent is through the ruler regardless of the mate," Rumiko acknowledged pulling out a wine glass and a bottle. "That is the law here. Not so in other places. We need the alliance with the Millenium Empire." Uncorking the bottle she began to pour herself a drink. "We are in their way. We would be a useful asset to them whole, which their emperor prefers." She raised the bottle and set it down. Swirling the crimson liquid she turned back toward Rika and brought the glass up to her lips. "And allying with them would ensure that my mother's dreams would find purchase beyond our borders without useless slaughter and unrest."

She took a drink and after a moment, set the glass down.

"So yes, my daughter. _That_ is what it's all about. How _very_ astute of you to discover this."

"I am _not_ a bargaining chip," Rika growled.

"The game of thrones is all about your use to some power. The fate of knights is to the throne, to fight and die at its beck and call regardless of what they want. If they cannot fulfill that service they are of no use and lose all the privileges that come with that status and become _errant_. The same is true of rulers. They have a duty to their subjects and woe to those who forget that. Should they, if the people don't pull them down, another force will." She approached her daughter, her expression solemn. "The Millenium Empire is one such force. With the marriage, we retain our stewardship of our territory and the people have no need to worry about who would replace us. Not all rulers care for those below them, especially on the fringes of an empire."

Rika remained firm. "I _know_ my duty, Mother. I only care that you don't bring Takato into all this. He is not of our clan or our kingdom."

"A man is a man regardless," Rumiko said, returning to her wine glass. "And don't think I haven't noticed how protective of him you are, or how _bright_ you've become in his presence." Her hard expression faltered slightly and a sympathetic smile crossed her features. "Your father was…a bit like him. I met him in almost the same way…leaving the castle one day and stumbling across a traveler. The only difference is that _your_ Takato is…shall we say… _lost_ in a fog and he's hurting inside. You see the greatness in him and want to bring it out. But be careful of how close to his heart you place yourself, _daughter."_ Her face hardened again and a golden glow surrounded her body. Reflexively, Rika did likewise and the air grew tense with roiling magic. "You want to keep him safe? You have shown him your favor. You might as well have declared your intention to marry him in front of everyone who saw him just now. If the Millenium Empire hears about that…" Unable to finish her sentence, she fixed her daughter with a black glare. "Rebellious child… Do you intend to have his _child_ next?"

The pedestal in the center of the room shook violently by the unseen forces working around it. Finally, as if from a blast of thunder, it exploded and the orb atop it toppled to the floor, striking its surface with a heavy ringing noise. It did not roll or wobble, instead staying perfectly still as if it had never been disturbed in the first place.

Takato burst into the room with an alarmed expression, one hand on the hilt of his sword. He looked back and forth between the two women as they both turned toward him, Rumiko with a serene expression and Rika with a troubled one.

"I…I heard something and…" He saw the ruins of the pedestal and the orb lying on the floor. "Why…? What…?"

"Think nothing of it, sir knight," Rumiko eased. "It was an old thing. It would have broken sooner or later. I will have servants clean up the mess shortly. Rika, you are dismissed."

Rika was turning almost before the words had left Rumiko's mouth.

"Let's go," she hissed, brushing past Takato. Giving her a baffled look, he turned back toward Rumiko, hoping to see _something_ that would give him a clue as to what happened. Rumiko remained unreadable. Taking that as a clue of being unwanted, he quickly followed Rika, jogging to catch up with her.

Lifting her glass, she swirled the wine before taking a sip.

_Think well my dear about where you place your heart…_

**###**

"Why do you keep looking out the window?" Ryo asked Seiko, biting into some cake the former queen had brought up to them. Seiko did not so much as turn as she replied to him.

"I am enjoying the view," she said smiling. Ryo frowned.

"You don't have to be so cloak and dagger with me," he said. "I'm on to you, you know. You've been keeping an eye out there for quite a while since we've been talking about our 'Dragon Knight'."

Seiko continued to smile, but did not so much as look away from her vantage point. "You have a good eye," she said. "It's no wonder you are a hero of legend."

"Or maybe you just don't think whatever it is you're keeping an eye out for is important enough to hide from me," Ryo supplied. Seiko chuckled.

"You're direct. Rika would have preferred that over you being the charmer you know."

"A little late to be dispensing advice isn't it?" Getting up, Ryo strolled over to the window to see what she was looking at. "It looks like the living section is over there."  
"Yes," Seiko nodded. "I chose my quarters here so I could always see them. Rumiko can't stand the sight of it, but I prefer to be reminded of those who depend on me." She gave a light laugh again. "Well… _depended_ anyway. I'm no longer their ruler as you know."

"You don't have to sit on a throne to rule others. You always slip in and out of shadows and…" Ryo scowled. _Did I just see…?_

Yes. There. On the roof of a dwelling was… Ryo blinked. "Is…Is that a _horse_ jumping from rooftop to rooftop?"

"The poor dear seems rather upset," Seiko said, getting up now. Ryo stared at her in amazement. She didn't seem to be the least bit phased by the sight. In fact, dare he say it, he could almost swear that she _expected_ it.

"My lady…" Ryo began carefully as Seiko headed for her door. "What is going on?"

Pausing as she pulled the door open, Seiko looked at Ryo. "The dragon that takes lonely children on adventures has news for us I believe."


	29. Chapter 29

_The word went out immediately. As soon as the rodent's life was crushed, a collective shriek sprang up from within the hive mind…overwhelming…drowning all voices within the current. Consumed by an overwhelming need to confront the attacker, rodents began to converge from all over the city, relaying information of their quarry, until, finally…_

**###**

Motomiya was heading back to the barracks, having just been relieved from duty when he first heard the screams. Perplexed, he turned only to find his eyes widening in horror at the black cloud of rats storming though the streets…scaling walls…going wherever they could, and not a single one of them were making a noise. There was none of the squeals and hissings that rodents normally made when they went about their business, were angry, or were running in a mad panic as they _appeared_ to be doing now. Motomiya's mind seized on that observation but couldn't for the life of him explain why this was important. All he knew was that their silence was unnerving.

People shrieked and cried out in surprise, fear, and disgust. Many of them ran or attempted to kick the vermin aside as they scrambled over feet, but not a single one of them paid any mind to the people around them. They simply swarmed, moving with a speed and direction that made Motomiya almost think of them as one single entity, like the hands or feet to something larger.

A horse whinny from above caught his attention and Motomiya looked up just in time to see Takato's horse, Guilmon, come toppling off a rooftop, a pack of the rodents pinned to its sides and neck, biting and clawing at its vulnerable flesh. As Motomiya watched, Guilmon snapped one off its haunches and tore it loose, drawing blood as it did so, and tossed it to the side. Nonetheless, in freefall, the horse remained a victim to the force of gravity and crashed into the streets, kicking up a cloud of dust. Impossibly it was back up onto its feet almost immediately, but the swarm of rats was closing in.

Instinctively, Motomiya dashed forth, feeling a familiar wellspring of heat forming around his hands—a heat he had known since childhood. Gripping his sword hilt, he pulled his weapon from its sheath…and watched in dumb surprise as Guilmon's mane and tail suddenly erupted in flames.

The rodents clinging to his neck now shrieked in pain as the burning mane snaked outward like serpents, slashing at them while the horse's tail whipped out, striking the ones on his side. Forcing his surprise away, Motomiya stomped on one of the creatures, crushing it beneath his heel. His stomach squirmed as the vermin writhed beneath his boot…and began to melt around it.

_"Whoa!"_ Motomiya shouted, attempting to pull away. It was no use though. The rat…if it even was a rat to begin with… _melded_ itself to the boot like drying wax and began to crawl upward. Seeing this, Guilmon dove forward and snatched the offending footwear and tore it off with his mouth, flinging it to the side.

The swarm fell upon them just then. Motomiya screamed as one of them bit into his cheek immediately upon landing, apparently having decided that he was now just as much a threat as the horse for attacking one of their own. More and more of the black-furred creatures swarmed up his legs, biting and clawing him down. Shrieking, Guilmon staggered under their weight, kicking and biting relentlessly the entire way. The heat in Motomiya's hands intensified and his blade took on a dull, red glow, only for it to vanish as the sword fell from his hands as rodent fangs found his neck…

There was a sudden flash of blue light that washed over the combatants. Motomiya choked and gasped harshly as rats were blown off his and Guilmon's bodies. The swarm howled and gathered together to stand against the blue light. Black and red light flared around them, repelling the light as it struck them.

Motomiya rose up on his elbows, blood flowing from his many injuries. He was shaking all over. _Alive!_ his mind thought deliriously. _I'm alive! I don't… But how?_

With considerable effort, he craned his head to find the Prince of the Millenium Empire, Ryo Akiyama, sauntering down the street, his own sword drawn and a jewel burning bright azure on his breast.

The Warrior Prince of Legend had arrived.

"Are you all right?" he asked Motomiya, whipping off his coat and cutting off a sleeve.

"I'm bleeding…" Motomiya whispered, trying to grin at the prince as he tied the sleeve around his neck to staunch the flow of blood.

"Yeah, but thankfully you're not dying," Ryo noted. His god had given him a flash healing…little more than a quick cauterization of his wounds, but that was as far as his healing abilities went. Some of his injuries still bled. As powerful as his god was, even he had limits.

_Especially now,_ he thought, tying the makeshift bandage off and looking up. "Ugly critters," he grimaced, seeing the mass of rats tangling themselves together like some kind of _Rat King_ from legend.

_"Indeed,"_ spoke the voice of the Millenium god from his jewel. _"This_ is _the seed of the Crow. No question now. I would never have thought he would actually do something like this. He must have been desperate."_

_Or insane,_ Ryo thought. He turned toward Guilmon. "Get out of here," he told the horse. "Find your master. I'll cover you."

The animal stared at him for a moment while his mane and tail returned to normal. Then, as if making a decision, he walked over to Motomiya and gripped him by his shirt with his mouth. Kneeling down just enough for Motomiya to grab hold of his halter, he assisted the surprised guard onto his back and then quickly took off.

The rats shrieked as one and attempted to pursue, but a sudden blast of blue energy struck them, blowing off a number of the rodents and reducing them to blackened cinders. A thousand eyes turned toward a smirking Ryo Akiyama, his blade and gem glowing bright blue.

"You know, it's not a good idea to turn your back on someone," he mocked, raising his sword at them. "So how about you forget them and worry about me instead? _I'm_ your opponent now."

**###**

"Just…what was that about back there?"

Rika glanced over her shoulder at her Brush Knight before returning her attention to the hall before her. "It's nothing. Forget it."

Takato scowled at the Princess' back. "Princess… _Rika."_ he had corrected himself quickly, but still earned a sharp look from her all the same at his use of her title. "I know it's beneath my station, but…if I'm causing trouble, I'd like to know."

"Who said you were causing trouble?" she asked after allowing a moment to pass.

"Rika, I may not be much, but I'm not completely stupid."

"I never said you were, Brush Knight. If you were, you would have been dead a long time ago."

Again Takato scowled. _She's trying to change the subject._

In the short amount of time he had been in her service, he learned to pick up on some of her habits. This was one of them.

"This arm band you gave to me," he pushed, "why did you do that?"

"To protect you," she said, turning a corner.

"Why do I need protecting?" he asked. "I know I'm a foreigner here, but… Have I given your mother or anyone here a reason to think I'm up to something?"

Again, Rika looked over her shoulder at him. His face was pleading for answers and she had to bite her lip at telling him.

_He only has to do his job,_ she thought to herself. She hated it though. It made her feel like she was just using him, as her mother…as Kings and Queens used others.

_Am I like her though?_ she wondered. _I gave him that arm band like it was a political move. I know it's not the 'marriage proposal' my mother said it was but…_

But. There was that word. In the Makino countryside and even in the city the arm band was used as a way to ward off potential suitors. It had many meanings and uses in society, but at its very most basic its roots were romantic and it all boiled down to simply saying, _"Hands off."_

_Maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all… Grandma told me that Mother did the same thing for Father once when she brought him home with her. Ugh. I really am following in her footsteps aren't I?_

"Rika?"

Snapping back to reality, the girl realized that they had just passed her chambers. Blushing lightly in embarrassment and grumbling lightly under her breath, she turned around and pushed it open.

However Takato stepped in front of her, his expression hard, but understanding.

"I know about your marriage to Ryo," he said softly. "If…If that's what the meeting with your mother is all about…" He paused before continuing. "Did you tell her that there's nothing to worry about? That you'll release me from your service when this mess with the Reaper is over?"

Rika then felt a flurry of rage threatening to burst forth from her at that, but she quickly squashed it.

_He's only trying to help,_ she reminded herself, taking a deep breath. _Nothing more._ Placing a hand on his shoulder she gently brushed him aside and passed through the doorway.

"You'll be released when I say you will be, Brush Knight," she reminded him. "And even if I told her there was nothing to worry about and that you would be moving on after this was over, I doubt it would put her at ease. The marriage is…that important to her."

"I…see."

Rika looked his face over, seeing that he was unsettled.

"Maybe if I told her that…that there wasn't any way that I could fall for you. I mean…" He looked over at Rika and blushed a bit. "I mean… You're beautiful, I don't mean any disrespect, it's just…"

"You already have someone," Rika finished, feeling pleased by his honesty, even if his attempt to placate her wasn't well thought out. "That girl you mentioned. Jeri."

Takato's expression darkened just then, and she quickly revised her statement.

"I…I did love her," Takato said, confirming what was in her mind. "But…the war…" He turned away so that Rika would be unable to see the tears brimming in his eyes. Rika saw his fists trembling and she looked at his back in sympathy. Approaching him, she placed a gentle hand on his back and felt him tense up against her touch.

_This is as far as he'll let me go,_ she realized. _He's sworn himself to me. He's willing to give me everything, including his life for that oath. I could order him to tell me everything and he'd probably do it but…_ She dropped her hand and saw him visibly relax. _…then I'd be no different from Mother. I have to be better than her._

The pair were broken out of their thoughts by the sound of hooves striking stone and servants crying out in surprise. Rushing out into the hall, hand on sword, Takato was surprised to see Guilmon fast approaching with a nearly comatose guard on his back.

"Guilmon!" he exclaimed, running toward his mount. The horse drew up sharply, neighing loudly, and the guard, groaning, slid off. Takato was quick to catch him and place him down the rest of the way gently. He was badly injured.

_It looks like he's been ravaged by animals!_ he thought, horrified by the graveness of the injuries. He looked over at Guilmon to see that he as well was in similar condition, though not nearly anywhere near as bad as the guard.

"Gods…" he heard Rika hiss as she knelt down next to him. "Something was _chewing_ on Motomiya! These injuries…!" She quickly clamped a hand down on his throat where the worst injury was and looked him over. "Someone has already seen to the worst of the bleeding," she said, more to herself than anyone else. "He still has bodily reserves I can use. For these kinds of injuries they should be enough for basic first aid and short term healing."

"So you can help him?" Takato asked. Rika snorted and gave him a look that almost seemed to ask, _"Are you kidding me?"_

"He'll sleep like the dead, but he'll live." She returned her attention to Motomiya. "Davis… What happened? What did this to you?"

"Rats…" Motomiya wheezed. "A whole swarm of them just came out chasing…" he pointed at Takato, "…his horse. One of them did something weird… Melted or something, but it kept coming. Then Ryo showed up…" Motomiya coughed painfully, trying to sit up. "Got to… Got to help him…"

_"You_ are not going anywhere," she ordered, pushing him back down. "Takato…" She turned toward him. "I'll see to Davis and rally the rest of the guards. As good as Ryo is, he's going to need some backup."

Takato nodded. "I'm on it."

**###**

The _Rat King_ was gone, but that didn't mean it was dead. The many eyes it sported remained, but all the bodies were merged into one being of vaguely humanoid shape now. Thousands of tails whipped about, trying to capture the prince, but his sword cut them back with ease. Even then, the segmented parts refused to die and he had to take a moment to burn them to ash before they could merge and complicate the battle even more.

The rest of the creature on the other hand proved to have considerable durability. Taking aim with a hand, energy transferred from his jewel and shot out from his palm, connecting with the creature. A black and red aura flared up, shattering the blast. Growling in irritation he rushed forward, slashing at tails as they again snaked out to ensnare him. More of them littered the ground, whipping about in their death spasm and a slash of his sword released energy that utterly destroyed them. Finished, Ryo jumped backward, narrowly avoiding the combined creature's stomping foot.

"It's death by a thousand cuts for you," he snarled, spinning his sword in a circle. As he watched, the creature's mass adjusted, replacing the tails. It wasn't a particularly effective tactic—he was much too fast to be caught, but the beast seemed to be intent on continuing with it all the same.

He raised an eyebrow at that. _But why? It's having to compensate each time. It's got to know that after a certain point it's going to get weak enough for me to hurt it with my god's power. Speaking of which…_

"I don't suppose you could put a little more _oomph_ in your shots there?" he asked his jewel. The crystal pulsed, as if in annoyance.

_"I'm giving as much as I can. Might I remind you as to whose fault it was that I am in my current condition?"_

Grumbling again Ryo deftly dodged an Earth-shattering fist that surged toward him, smashing into a business. Ryo winced, hearing screams from within. _I'm trying to keep the damage to a minimum, but this guy isn't making it easy…_

The screams from within intensified suddenly and rat tails moved in, tearing apart the house and lifting up a citizen—a purple-haired girl. The creature's flesh parted, revealing a smooth mouth lined with razor-sharp fangs. Panic welled in his heart and Ryo threw himself at the creature, an aura of blue erupting around his body.

_"No!"_ he shouted, sending a surge of energy at the beast. The creature shifted, placing its body in such a position that its prey would not be severed from its grasp as it brought her up to its gaping maw. Ryo's attack slammed into the beast, clashing with its shield before dissipating. Ryo continued to charge forward all the same, unmindful of the seemingly never-ending tails that threatened to grab him again. He _had_ to save these people before they…

A crimson sphere smashed into the creature just then, sending it to its knees. It kept a fierce grip on its captives, but all of its eyes now turned up in the direction of its new attacker.

Big mistake.

Ryo swept aside the tails with a single slash of his sword, cleaving them into bloody bits as his aura erased them from existence. With a god-empowered leap, he repeated the attack with the ones that held the Makino citizen, causing her to fall from its grasp. Falling with her, he easily caught her in his arms, smiling as they landed.

"Get everyone out of here," he ordered, setting the girl's feet down. Not waiting to see if she would respond, he returned his attention to the creature. Its eyes were now split between him and its new opponent. Following its gaze, he saw Guilmon coming in for a landing, and riding him was Takato, who was already jumping off and clapping its side.

"Get out of here, boy," the Hypnos Knight ordered. Guilmon seemed to nod, as if understanding its injuries, before dropping back and, rather unsettlingly to Ryo, vanishing into thin air without the knight noticing. Brushing that aside for now, he grinned at Takato.

"Nice of you to show up, Takato," he called. "How about we take this monster out together?"

"Sounds good to me, prince," Takato said. At once electricity flared around his hands and leapt up the blade. Ryo was impressed and touched his jewel. Blue light appeared around him once more and he began to concentrate.

_Takato…_ he called out with his mind, and the knight jumped in surprise. Ryo chuckled but continued talking. _I've got an idea to take this guy down. He's too strong for straight up attacks to work, but if you can buy me a few minutes I have a spell that should lock him down and destroy him. Can you do it?_

He felt Takato mulling the suggestion around in his mind before there came the mental equivalent of a nod.

_I'll do my best. It shouldn't be too hard. It kind of reminds me of a Paratice Head. They were hard to beat but not impossible as long as you kept your wits about you. They were mostly like reconnaissance-in-force._

_Don't let it fool you,_ Ryo warned. _This guy has shrugged off my attacks so far._

He felt Takato agree and then returned his focus to the matter at hand. The field of energy surrounding him began to change and take shape, forming into runes. They glowed brightly as a circle began to trace itself in the air. He wished he were more adept at this like Rika was so he could act more quickly, or at least had the appropriate scrolls or spell runes on his person like he had before, but unfortunately he couldn't due to the rules of the Makino court and the agreement they had with the Millenium Empire.

_No choice but to make do,_ he thought, focusing his god's power into the pentagram that now formed within the circle. The spell had to be done _just_ right. He couldn't afford a single mistake.

Seeing Ryo's actions, the creature started to turn toward him, but a shout from Takato followed by a blast of electricity more than caught its attention. All eyes turned on him, narrowing. Something clicked in its mind.

_Recognition._

"Ta… Ka… To…" it said in a feminine voice that nearly caused the knight to freeze up in shock. It was a voice that haunted his dreams ever since the end of the war. A voice that would always follow him until the day he died.

_Jeri…_

"No…" Takato gasped, his hand trembling at the voice. "Not her…"

"Takato!" Ryo yelled. "Snap out of it!"

At his voice, the Reaper suddenly whirled about and struck out at him, slamming a foot into his aura. It flexed and broke, his spell winking out of existence alongside it. The prince fell back, dazed, but largely unharmed. Shaking his head, he tried again, but the Reaper was on him almost immediately.

_"Takato!"_ he called out, grasping at what the Reaper's intentions were. _"Don't let it get to you!"_

Remembering himself, Takato raced at the Reaper, releasing a wave of electricity that struck the Reaper's legs. It didn't fall however. It only took notice of him again.

"Ta… Ka… To…" The Reaper intoned in its thousand voices, still stalking toward Ryo with its massive legs, causing the ground to tremble. "Hypnos… Knight…" The Reaper's voice changed, becoming sad… Sobbing. "You… Said you… Loved me…"

Ryo, still attempting to dodge, floundered as a tail tripped him up and caused him to spill to the ground. He slashed it off and burned it away, but more tails whipped out toward him. He reached out toward Takato with his mind, desperately hoping to get the knight to escape whatever psychological hold the Reaper had on him.

Almost as soon as he made contact, he felt something snap within the knight, within the deepest part of him that mattered. The Reaper's words cut deep, and this time instead of fear or shock, white hot fury was now boiling... Waiting to explode. Outwardly, he was still shaking, but only from how barely controlled his anger was.

"Don't you dare…" he whispered. "Don't you _dare_ use her voice…"

The Reaper's head began to alter and take shape. Hair grew outward like pointed daggers and the eyes that ran all along its surface merged, becoming two, giant, yellow ones. Its face flattened and became grey—a dark, twisted parody of the person that its voice once belonged to.

Takato's rage exploded.

"Don't…you… _DARE!"_

Black and blue fire burst from around his body and rose upward. Ryo gaped as he swore he saw the visage of a dark knight take shape, eyes glowing blood red and staring murderous daggers at the Reaper. This was like what happened before on the training grounds, but only slightly different. Then, it had been a dragon, but now a dark knight formed, its aura swirling with chaos. Black wings spread from Takato's back as power surged around his sword.

Glaring at the Reaper he muttered only one word before unleashing the storm.

"Die."

Raising his sword, the ominous blue light swirled around it. Black clouds formed above the Reaper, lightning crackling within its depths. Slashing his sword down, the clouds unleashed the full totality of its wrath, calling down a massive blast of lightning that cleaved through the Reaper's head and split its body down the middle. The Reaper howled, trying to rally itself and repair its body, but a second slash called down more spears of lightning, piercing through its body again and again. Takato swung his sword down, again and again, like a hammer, and more lightning rained down upon its body. A pained, roaring scream cracked upon the air with each strike.

It wasn't until later, as his legs buckled beneath him and his face was wet with tears, that he discovered that he was the one who had been the one screaming.

He leaned against his sword, his breathing heavy. There was barely anything remaining of the Reaper but he attempted to stand again all the same and bring his sword to bear. Its point scraped against the ground, but his legs refused to budge.

_I can never forgive you…for what you've done. To Jeri… To all the people you've hurt. You deserve this… I'll destroy you until there's not a bit of you left… No matter what… I'll find you and destroy you to the last piece of dust…_

Gritting his teeth, he raised a hand, reaching… _reaching_ for the power he had just used. In his exhaustion it danced just beyond his reach. If he could just touch it for just a moment…

His vision swam and Takato nearly toppled over, only to be steadied by Ryo's firm hand.

"Easy there, Takato," he smiled. "You got it. It's over."

Takato's head dipped in exhaustion, his eyes closing.

"…Never…over…" he whispered before finally slumping over and collapsing against Ryo's thigh. Ryo blinked, uncertain as to what to do before taking off the remains of his coat and placing it behind the knight's head. Laying him down to rest, movement caught his attention and he saw Rika, her mother, and the castle guard rapidly approaching.

"Prince Ryo…" Rumiko began as they approached, only to stop as Rika broke away from the group and rushed over to Takato.

"What happened?!" Rika demanded, giving Ryo a sharp glare as she knelt down next to her Brush Knight and placed a hand against his forehead. He felt cool to the touch, if a bit pale. His breathing was shallow, but nothing to be concerned about.

"He drove himself to exhaustion destroying the Reaper," Ryo replied. He looked over at Rumiko with a meaningful eye. "He's okay. Let him sleep it off. He's earned it."

Rumiko furrowed her brow ever so slightly, but nodded and turned to her guard. "See to our citizens," she ordered. "And someone get a stretcher for the Hypnos Knight. Have him brought to the castle. I will see to his injuries _personally."_

**###**

From the window at the castle he cursed. The scene was too far away for him to see events, but he knew what transpired all the same. His mind was so quiet now; the chorus of voices that made up the _Congregation_ was gone.

He was all that remained of this Arm of the Reaper.

The Hypnos Knight and the Millenium Prince survived.

_Blood and fire…_ he swore, turning away from the window and retreating down the hall. For his master, he would have to change plans.


	30. Chapter 30

Rumiko followed the servants as they placed Takato's unmoving body on the bed and began to strip him down. His skin appeared largely unblemished, save for a nasty trio of scars running the length of his back, but first impressions rarely told much about a person. After covering the knight with a blanket, they looked over at the Queen for further orders. Waving a hand, she dismissed them and within short order, Rumiko was alone with the knight. She looked at his calm face, her expression firm.

"You have caused some trouble since coming here," she said, more to herself than to the unmoving knight, as she approached him. Reaching out, she ran a finger across his chest. "But you have helped my kingdom as well. While some may believe the worst of me, do not think that I do not recognize one's contributions to the wellbeing of the House of Makino."

Bringing her hand to a stop, she reached out, directing her mind and magic to seek out hidden hurts. He hadn't looked injured, but again, appearances were often deceiving.

As yet, she felt nothing but a bone-deep weariness.

_That's to be expected given the level of power he unleashed,_ she thought, shuddering at the memory of the dragon from earlier in the day and more recently the visage of the dark knight that had manifested around the knight. She had felt the _force_ of him then without seeing him. Even at a distance, there was a maelstrom sleeping within him. She could feel them in the memories of his scars. She brushed against them with her mind, holding them for a moment before moving on.

_Gods make me stone,_ she thought quietly to herself. She continued on like this for several minutes, shifting her hand from one place to the next, until finally returning to his scars.

_This is the only place where his hurts lie,_ she thought, her gaze flicking up at Takato's still face once more. Pulling away, she knuckled her back, grunting as she felt a _pop!_ Reaching into her robes, she produced a small, glass sphere, dark in color with sparkling lights scattered throughout.

Behind her, the door opened, causing Rumiko's eyes to twitch as her mother entered.

"You still move well, Mother," she greeted, not looking away from the sphere. "For a moment I thought you would be Rika, coming to make sure that I don't do anything to harm _her_ brush knight."

Seiko smiled wanly, closing the door behind her. "She hasn't forgotten her duties dear. There are still many injured, and she needs to make sure that the city is secure."

Rumiko nodded. "What about you? Why are you here?"

Seiko looked at Takato, slight worry creasing her face. "Why do you think? He is well?"

"For all intents and purposes, yes. He is in no danger. However…" An image formed in the center of the orb in her hand—a dragon wreathed in flames—and she grimaced. "…he is potentially hazardous to us all."

"He is gifted with a sleeping power," Seiko agreed, approaching the bed.

"It is already starting to awaken. Whatever he's done with it before was only its tip." Lowering the sphere, Rumiko sighed. "Perhaps that is why he became Errant. When he first came here and told us his tale, I knew that there was something he was leaving out. This…" Her hand tightened on the orb and the dragon winked out of existence. "Love can be both beautiful and terrible at the same time."

"Yes," Seiko agreed, looking at Takato softly. "But not completely so."

"He is not of the Blood, Mother," Rumiko said, shaking her head before continuing in a whisper. "Gods, what were they thinking giving this power to someone not bound by treaty and sacrifice?"

"He is a Dreamer."

Rumiko looked up at her mother sharply before returning her gaze to the knight. Her shoulders sagged.

"So he is…" she said, unable to believe that she hadn't seen it earlier. "The Crow god despises such individuals. I…" Her grip around the orb tightened even further. "If I could…" she continued. "…I would end his existence here and now!"

"There would be no guarantee that the Crow god would leave us be even if you did," she reminded. "Hypnos' war with the Reaper indicates as much. He is coming daughter, whether we like it or not. He has only been delayed, but such a setback won't matter to him."

Rumiko bit the inside of her mouth, reluctant to agree, but seeing no other alternative.

War was coming, whether they wanted it or not.

_There is the Millenium Empire,_ she thought. _But against the Crow god there is little they can do, even with their Legendary Prince on their side. Time can be bought through force of arms, but the final victory must be waged in the heavens._

"We must prepare," she said, raising the orb over Takato and releasing it. It glowed briefly as it took its place over the knight, hovering in midair. As if in response to the light, Takato twitched and then stilled.

Rumiko turned away and headed toward the door. "I need to contact the Damon clan. We'll need to redeploy our forces."

**###**

In the darkness, a glass sphere glowed with an eerie green light. Above it swirled a black mass vaguely shaped like a human with its head pointed like a sharp beak.

_"You have allowed a Hypnos Knight entry into this land and now this Arm of the Reaper is gone,"_ a voice spoke from the black mass. _"This is the cost of failure. Precious time is lost… Precious resources…"_ The darkness shifted and within the glowing orb, a silver object shaped like a cross appeared within its depths. _"Precious lives as well. You understand this now, don't you?"_ the voice asked, the cross vanishing from view. _"I applaud your desire to act through subterfuge and take the kingdom without a fight, but boldness and a willingness to sacrifice have also won many battles. You will learn from this."_

A figure, shrouded in the darkness knelt on their knees.

"I…understand. I underestimated the impact that the baser instincts of rats would have on the congregation. I thought I could control them. I was wrong."

_"I am glad that you understand this,"_ the darkness replied. _"You may continue then, secure in the knowledge you have gained from this. All is not lost. You still have seeds to plant. You have an opportunity to pay recompense for your failure. Should you succeed, your service will be rewarded. I am not an unjust god. I can forgive missteps in fortune and lapses in judgment. So long as you learn from them."_

The darkness presence swelled, spreading outward like wings, nearly engulfing the emerald light that the orb gave off.

_"Until my arrival then… Do not fail."_

With that, the dark-presence evaporated and the orb dimmed, leaving its owner kneeling in the shadows, quietly sobbing.

"For _her_ sake…" he whispered, "I will not fail."

**###**

Rika withdrew her hands from another citizen and leaned back, wiping an arm over her forehead. "Next," she said, closing her eyes and gathering her strength. She felt tired. Three hours had passed since the Reaper attack. The guard had finished clearing away the worst of the wreckage and with the arrival of additional healers from the medical corps, cleanup was well on its way to completion. There were only a few more loose ends to take care of before dealing with the next order of business… The fallout of the Reaper attack.

A hand fell upon Rika's shoulder, and her shadow slashed up reflexively, grabbing hold of its owner's wrist. Behind her, Ryo gave a light laugh.

"Almost let your guard down, Wild Cat," he joked. Sighing, Rika recalled her shadow and got to her feet.

"What do you want, Ryo?" she asked in annoyance, turning toward the blue-eyed youth. Ryo smiled warmly at her.

"I just wanted to say that the guard and medical corps have this covered now. Take a break and go see your knight. You've been going overtime on healing. You're tired."

Rika set the point of her staff down on the ground to cover the shaking in her legs. While healing _looked_ like a common, everyday task, even for those with talent it was sorely draining, both for the person being healed and for the one doing the healing.

_At least the injuries here aren't as bad as the time when the Horn Striker first showed up,_ she thought, repressing a shudder. _Not that the arrival of the dragons hadn't been any better either. I've done too much healing and I'm just not that practiced with it. If I'm not careful I won't be able to reset my spells._

"All right," she said after only a moment of deliberation. Ryo seemed taken aback and she smirked at him. "What? Expected me to argue?"

"A little," he replied, returning her smirk. "You don't always see eye to eye with me. I half-expected you to argue just out of habit."

"When you're right, you're right," Rika said, brushing past him. "Even if it annoys me," she added. She paused and looked at him over her shoulder. "You'll let me know if I need to get back down here though, right?" She pointed a finger at him and a small glowing butterfly materialized on it. Taking flight, it flew over to him and lighted on his shoulder. A Sending Spell.

"I will," Ryo replied with a careful nod. Returning it, Rika headed off, opting not to fly the rest of the way to the castle to conserve energy. Ryo watched her go for a moment before touching his jewel. It pulsated faintly.

"Well, what do you think?"

_"If the Reapers have evaded detection from my senses thus far,"_ the Millenium god replied from within the gem, _"I don't believe that I would have much luck in locating any others now. The Reapers specialize in infiltration. They messed up this time, but if any survived they will be less likely to do so again. Were you to release the seals placed on me…"_

"I bet you would love that," Ryo scoffed. The gem chortled.

_"Of course I would. To be free from my prison would please me greatly. But I should point out that you may find my freedom a necessity. A war of gods is coming and the first battle will be fought here. You know that much by now. You_ need _my power. Chosen or not, the Hypnos Knight is far too inexperienced, and you_ saw _what happened back there. Should he lose control…"_

"We can train him."

_"In time? The Crow god won't allow us such luxury. It took_ years _for you to master me. This Takato has some skill with what he has been given, but he is unstable and not bound by any treaty such as you and I. The Dragon sleeps and the knight is darkened. A bad combination to have."_

"Maybe there's a way we can meet you halfway," Ryo said after a moment of thought.

_"Oh? And how, pray tell, do you plan to accomplish that?"_

Ryo grinned and touched his sword. "Let's go take a look at the armory shall we?"

**###**

The trek back to the castle felt as though it took an eternity for Rika, but soon enough she found herself walking its halls once more. She paused briefly at the infirmary to find Davis sleeping soundly in his bed, his wounds cleaned and bandaged. She smiled before continuing on. At this point there was little she or even healers could do for him until he recovered sufficient resources for healing magic to be used, but the important thing was that he was out of danger.

_He's going to be extremely hungry when he wakes up though,_ she thought, shaking her head with some amusement. _I wonder if the castle has enough stores to satiate him._

She chuckled quietly as it occurred to her that one of Takato's recipes would be more than up to the job. She found herself a bit disappointed that they never got around to eating the meal that they had been preparing earlier in the day.

_It's probably no good by now…_

Placing one gloved hand upon the wall to rest for a moment and gather her strength, Rika closed her eyes and sent out a small seeking spell to locate her Brush Knight. Within short order she found him where she might expect him, and set off in that direction. Upon reaching the door, she found herself puzzled by a low, ringing noise coming from the other side. Concern welling up inside her, she pushed the doors open to find a dark orb hovering over Takato, shaking. Rika recognized the object right away as one of the _Rune Stones_ —crystalline orbs given powers for specific tasks, in this case one that involved her knight's mind. As she watched, the orb's shaking increased in intensity until a dark shadow formed around it. Taking on a human-like shape, it turned its head down toward the resting Takato—his face clenched in the throes of nightmare—and drew a black sword and placed it at his neck. Raising her hand, Rika narrowed her eyes.

_"Stop!"_ she commanded, her hand glowing briefly. The shadow-figure ceased and craned its head in her direction questioningly. Rika glared at it as she approached, and with a dismissive gesture from her hand, the shadow evaporated, leaving only the blackened Rune Stone in its place, hovering for only a moment before dropping into her open palm.

"Sloppy, Mother," she berated the stone's owner as her mind reactivated its magic. "You didn't account for my knight's nature when you set this over him." Replacing the stone back over him, it resumed its vigil with a new glow. Her expression softening, she looked at her knight. "The soul creates monsters to torment itself with," she whispered. "Do you really hate yourself that much? I wish…" She placed a hand on Takato's cheek, caressing it gently. "I wish you would tell me what happened so you could unburden yourself."

The stone above her suddenly glowed even more brightly. Rika had only a moment to realize her own mistake, made in her moment of exhaustion, before the magic of her words hit her full force, taking her into the realm of dreams and memory.

**###**

She found herself sitting in the darkness of night, a waxing moon hanging above her, replacing the Rune Stone. She wanted to curse at herself for being so forgetful, but her thoughts were muddled and confused. She knew why though, recognizing that part of it was due to the thoughts and feelings belonging to the knight, whose memories she was now seeing. Takato was holding something in one hand. She could feel it, thin but hard in his palm. Her… _His_ eyes turned toward it. A small, purple-colored charm with a string attached to it and a prayer to the goddess of luck. She felt his eyes brim with tears briefly before shedding a lone drop on top of the charm and with it came a thought… _Mother._

"Takato?" came a voice from behind him. It was a soft, feminine voice, and although Rika didn't know its owner, the memory quickly supplied a name. _Jeri._

"Hm?" Takato quickly brushed at his eyes to remove the offending tears before turning to face her. Rika's first thought upon seeing her was of a mouse. Jeri approached, as if afraid that Takato were made of glass, but a closer look revealed a large heart that held only a warm concern for him. She wasn't afraid that she would break him by being too close. She was afraid that he would break if she wasn't. Now that she thought about it, Rika could feel the tension running through every muscle in Takato's body, a result of nearly constantly needing to be on guard—of having to live with the grueling hell of battle, knowing that any breath could be the last. Sleep no longer came easy, and it wasn't because of the ground that was the bed of the army.

"Are you all right?" Rika felt Takato's heart thump painfully in his chest, half-panicking at the thought of being seen in this moment of vulnerability.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," Takato replied, his eyes quickly darting away. His voice told a different story, and Jeri obviously heard it.

"Well you don't look fine."

"I…ah… I've just got something in my eye."

Jeri stepped closer to him. "Are you crying?" she asked softly, coming to a stop next to him, her amber eyes questing over his face for the truth.

"No, of course I'm not," Takato tried to evade and failed. Rika felt Jeri's hand slip around Takato's and the increase in his heart rate. She felt his resolve crumble a little. "It's just… I was thinking about my family," he admitted finally, still looking away from Jeri, but this time raising his head to the moon. "I found a good luck charm in my pack earlier and a note from my mother. She worries and… I wish I didn't worry her so much."

Jeri smiled. "I bet she misses you."

"She does," Takato nodded in agreement. "But… I'll see her soon." Takato's voice took on more confidence now. "All we have to do first is destroy the Reaper. Then we can go home."

Jeri's free hand rose up to Takato's chest, and the boy stiffened beneath her tender touch.

"I know you can do it," she said, her voice quieter now. "What you did earlier today… That light… I could feel the power coming from you…"

"You still got hurt though," Takato said regretfully. "I wasn't strong enough…"

"Don't say that," Jeri interrupted, suddenly pulling him into a tight hug. "Don't you _ever_ say that! Promise me you won't say that about yourself again!"

"But…" Takato protested, but Jeri's hand dug into his bag tightly.

"Promise me…" she whispered throatily into the crook of his neck. "You're the hope of this army. You _have_ to believe in yourself."

Takato's hands rose to return Jeri's hug, feeling the weight of promise on his shoulders. He couldn't refuse. He just couldn't.

"All right," he said finally. "I promise."

Rika felt Jeri smile against Takato's neck. "Good," she said. "Now I need you to do something for me."

"Anything," Takato said, feeling the love in her embrace. Gods he loved her so much… More than he could put into words. Pulling back, he looked into her eyes.

Eyes that now glowed with an eerie red light.

"I need you to die for me," Jeri said, a cruel smile growing across her face as the hand on Takato's back sprouted claws. With a simple flick, they tore through his armor and dug into the vulnerable flesh beneath while Rika looked on in horror.

**###**

With tremendous effort, Rika forcefully ejected herself from Takato's dream-memory. Shaking, she stumbled off the bed, grabbing onto the wall for support as she walked into it. "That… Oh gods…" She stammered, unable to find the words to describe what she saw; what she _learned._ The memories were fading. Having broken off the link she didn't get the full story, but enough of the emotions lingered that she knew to the core of her soul what it was that happened.

_He killed her. It's just like what happened with Tamashiro! She was infected during a battle and tried to kill him! Oh gods… I was certain Jeri had died, but this…_ Now she understood. Understood so much now… Blinking, she found tears flowing down her face. The dream had impacted her heavily. _He loved her so much… This… This nearly killed him inside. He… I…_

She looked upon his pained face, feeling her heart crack.

_I wasn't supposed to know this._

Her hand fell to her side, her fingers hanging open for a moment before pulling into a tight fist.

_But I do now anyway,_ she thought, reigning in her emotions. She still felt uncertain. _I can't change that now. I can only choose what to do with that knowledge._

_It's just… I don't know what to do._

"Takato…" she whispered, approaching him again and seating herself on the bed. Mouthing a quick spell to keep from being sucked back into his dream, Rika took hold of his hand with both of hers. As if her touch were a signal, Takato, grimacing, groaned. His eyes fluttered open and then closed again, exhaustion still clinging too tightly for him to pull free from. Rika felt him return her grip as he drifted back off to sleep, his expression becoming more at ease.

"You're…all right…" he whispered before the dream world reclaimed him.

Rika looked down at him and closed her eyes, letting the silence rule. She felt her resolve grow and she came to a decision.

_I won't leave your side, Takato…_


	31. Chapter 31

"Of all the times," Takato said from his spot on Growlmon's head, clinging to one of his two pointed horns to keep from falling while the giant dinosaur raced through the streets. "I hope that this isn't a big one, otherwise we're going to be late for dinner."

Takato looked over next to him where Henry and Terriermon sat. The grey-eyed boy did not respond, his expression one of deep thought and…unless the goggle-wearing youth missed his guess… _fear._

He resisted the urge to look down at Rika from her place on Kyubimon's back. Although the girl said nothing when the alarms sounded, Takato saw the initial look on her face when Henry began asking his questions to their digital doubles. He remembered that look well. While the 'Digimon Queen' had decidedly softened up since they first met all those months ago, she had a way of cutting to the bone with just a look whenever she thought something was up. Rika was rarely one to beat around the bush. When she felt the need to be direct, only the intervention of the gods could save a person.

_Or at least slow things down…_ "Uh… Henry?"

"Earth to Henry…" Terriermon, from his spot on Henry's shoulder, gripped his head with his appendage-like ears, and pulled him out of his thoughts with a slight shake, leaving him blinking at first the rabbit-dog digimon and then at Takato.

"Huh?" he asked rather uncharacteristically. Terriermon sighed.

"It's about time. Takatomon was trying to be funny and you let it pass over you completely. Sheesh. What's eating you? You've been like this ever since the meeting."

Henry's eyes fell into their thoughtful scowl once more, and for a second both Terriermon and Takato despaired that they would have to bring him out of it again. Fortunately they were spared the effort as the half-Chinese Tamer began to speak, his words slow and measured, as though he were trying to put his thoughts together.

"I think…I'm responsible for what happened."

Takato's mouth opened to tell him that was crazy, but before he could say anything, his mouth quickly closed shut with a snap. Something about the way his friend looked, coupled with the final seconds of the meeting, spoke to a part of him that his adventures as a Tamer had only started to grow. He saw truth in his friend's gaze that could not be denied.

"What do you mean?" Takato asked, hoping to draw him out. "You can tell me Henry."

Henry shook his head. "I'm not completely sure yet," he replied. "I need to check on something first. It's just…" Henry sighed, becoming a bit embarrassed. "It just sounds so ridiculous when I think about it in my head."

Terriermon and Takato both exchanged looks, neither making any more sense out of the boy's musings than before. Shifting over to his partner's other shoulder, Terriermon tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Embarrassing, huh?" He thought back to the meeting and Henry's last words right before the alarms sounded. A light bulb clicked on just then and his mouth dropped. "Hold on! You don't mean…"

"Terriermon…" Henry warned, causing the rabbit-dog digimon to, for once in his life, shut his mouth with a sharp click. Takato's eyes widened in surprise at this, but he quickly set it aside.

"Henry, if this has anything to do with the bio-emergence, don't you think you should tell us what it is?"

"Yamaki already said that it was a Wild One though," Henry replied. "So far anything else that came through that wasn't a digimon had a different signal."

The Tamer sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than either Takato or Terriermon. Even to the Goggle-wearing boy, he didn't sound like he was succeeding.

"I don't know Henry…" Terriermon resumed after an awkward moment of silence. "The way our luck is, especially when we consider ol' Takatomon…"

"Hey!" Takato bristled at that, but Terriermon ignored him.

"…I kinda think that maybe we _should_ figure on it being some monster out of Suzie's story."

"Suzie's story?" Takato raised an eyebrow at that. "What's he talking abou…?"

"Takato!" Growlmon interrupted, coming to an abrupt halt. Next to him, Kyubimon did likewise with her redheaded passenger looking up.

"What's up?" she asked. "Why're we stopping?"

"Hey!" called out Kazu from Guardromon's shoulder as the rest of the group came up behind them. "You grow roots all of a sudden?"

"Uh…" Takato leaned down in an attempt to get a better look at Growlmon's face. "What's the matter, boy?" he asked, the question sounding redundant since so many other questions were being shot at him. Instead of answering immediately, Growlmon raised his head, nearly dumping his passengers down his back accidently, and sniffed the air.

"I smell Suzie and Lopmon," Growlmon said, dropping his head back down. Henry's eyebrows shot up with hope.

"Are you sure?" he asked, an almost desperate tone creeping into his voice, as though he dare not believe what the digimon said.

"Henryyy…" Terriermon began as though he were scolding his partner. "This is _Growlmon_ we're talking about. Have you _ever_ known his nose to _not_ know what it's talking about?"

"Hah?" Growlmon asked, a bit befuddled. "My nose doesn't talk, Terriermon."

The long-eared digimon gave Takato a flat stare. "All this time and he _still_ doesn't get what metaphors are?"

"Not now, Terriermon," Henry cut in. "Growlmon… Are you _sure?"_

"Ah-hah!" Growlmon nodded. "In fact, they're coming this way right now. They should be here right…about…"

The streets suddenly exploded with mist, forcing the Tamers to hold tightly onto their partners so as to not accidently get knocked off by the force of the blast. As the fog settled, Henry felt the hair on his head prickle a bit, signaling the presence of data organizing itself and integrating itself into the area around them.

"She's here…" Growlmon said, once more testing the air with his nose. Takato dropped his goggles over his eyes while Henry and Rika both pulled out their sunglasses and slipped them on.

"Where?" Henry asked urgently. Glancing up at her friend, Rika leaned forward on her partner's back.

"Kyubimon?"

"I'm on it," the vulpine digimon said, her eyes flashing as she used her mystical powers to pierce the fog. Within short order she located the young girl and her diminutive partner and pointed a paw in their direction. "There."

"Suzie!" Henry called out. "Growlmon! Let me down!"

"Okay." Bending over, the crimson dinosaur brought his chin to the ground, allowing his two friends to climb off. No sooner did Henry's feet touch pavement did he start running in the direction Kyubimon indicated.

"Hey!" Takato exclaimed. "Henry! Wait!"

"Too late!" Terriermon called back as they disappeared into the fog. Guardromon pulled up between Takato and Rika just then, Kazu and Kenta riding his shoulders and giving both of them confused looks.

"Hey! What're you guys standing around here for? Isn't he going to need our help?"

"Terriermon maybe," Rika snorted, remembering Suzie's penchant for crushing Terriermon and Lopmon in hugs whenever she saw him. "Let's go, Kyubimon."

Takato lifted his goggles as they approached. The digital field was beginning to dissipate, allowing him to see Henry and Terriermon as the former knelt down in front of Suzie. Takato smiled at the scene. "Well, at least she's safe," he said. However as the remainder of the fog vanished, he saw something that gave him pause.

First was the look on Henry's face. Concerned, but its focus was on something else entirely. Following his eyes, Takato spotted a crystal orb nestled snugly in Suzie's hands, shining brightly for a moment before going dark.

**###**

The orb retracted from the scanner as Shibumi leaned back in his chair. Behind him stood Yamaki, his hand holding his lighter. For the moment, he had yet to fall into his usual habit of flicking it open and then closing it.

"It's dormant," Shibumi said, getting out of his seat and stepping over to the machine. "It doesn't look like it's going to be a danger."

"For now," Yamaki said, his tone cynical. Although it had been three hours since Suzie Wong returned from…wherever it was she had been taken to, Yamaki did not believe that the orbs period of inactivity meant that it would continue to remain that way. "Is it as Janyu's daughter described it?"

"In a way," Shibumi nodded. "But the data is a bit more primitive. A digignome is more advanced in terms of ability to manipulate data and matter. It might not even be able to operate in this world without a digital field."

_"Might not._ Seems impractical for something that's meant to be a gift from this… _Crow god."_ Yamaki frowned beneath his sunglasses. He had detailed some of his agents to interrogate the Takato and Rika duplicates about the Crow god. With everything appearing to revolve around them and 'Rika's' attack on Impmon due to mistaken identity, they were the best sources of information on this new entity they had. Knowledge would be needed.

_From the way the other Rika and Takato describe him, this_ Crow god _is someone we need to be wary of._

"And there's nothing in this orb that you can find that might make it a danger?" The other Rika had indicated that such would be the case. Dark or not; dormant or not, Yamaki wanted to be absolutely certain.

"Nothing yet," Shibumi said, attaching wires to the crystal sphere. "We're only in preliminary scans. _So far_ it appears harmless. If we wanted to be generous, the Crow god could have made it useless here so we could be dependent on him."

Yamaki squeezed his lighter slightly but did not as yet flip it open. That was a possibility. "Or be unable to use it against him," he added. "In the worst case scenario, it could be a time bomb waiting to go off."

"Hmmm…" Shibumi stepped away from the orb and returned to his computer, settling himself back into his chair. "Well, the coding is similar enough to the one we used for digimon and Grani. If there _is_ such a command imbedded, it'll be found. It's just going to take time."

Yamaki relaxed his grip. "You have all the resources of Hypnos at your disposal," he told the Monster Maker.

**###**

The knight felt naked without his sword at his side. He didn't necessarily need it anymore, but old habits die hard and this one died the hardest.

_So much time spent fighting with it there,_ he thought, touching his hip where the blade normally rode. _I forgot what it was like to be…well…_ normal _I guess is how I would put it._

"They actually wear these things?" he heard his princess mutter behind him. A smile creeping onto his face, Takato turned around to find her poking at the elastic band of her pants. Like him she was decked out in the rather plain clothing that the dwellers of this world wore, albeit even _more_ plain, being simple white T-shirts and black sweatpants—gods knew why this strange world called either item those names. Their clothes and equipment had been taken from them earlier, ostensibly to be studied and cleaned, and to allow them to move about in the world without causing too much of a commotion should it be necessary.

"At least they're better than the wool I used to wear back home," Takato said, hoping to put her at ease. She gave him a dead look that suggested she was not amused. Hoping to change that he brought a hand to his chest and itched himself. "All that scratching…"

"I don't care about that," Rika grimaced, turning away. "It's just…different. It feels strange. Loose but fits at the same time without something to tie them off. I can't decide if I'm going to fly out of these things or not." She looked down at her feet and wiggled her toes from within the shoes and socks that now covered them. "Now _these_ on the other hand I like."

Takato nodded in agreement over that. When he first put the socks on his skin all but crawled in pleasure. The shoes were comfortable—far beyond any of the boots he wore in all the miles he tramped—though he had doubts about their ability to resist wear and tear.

Still, he couldn't argue with how they felt even if they looked alien.

"If it means anything I think you look great."

Rika snorted at his compliment. _"You'd_ think I'd look great in anything, Brush Knight. If I didn't know you well enough, I would suspect it's because your knightly code required you to say that to all the princesses and fair maidens." She returned her violet eyes to meet his. "Lucky for you I know better." She smirked at him "You on the other hand look _better_ now that you've gotten cleaned up."

Takato blushed lightly and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. No matter what he could never find himself able to take compliments. To this day he had no idea what Rika saw in him.

"So…ah…" he began, deciding to change the subject away from himself and his appearance. "What are we going to do?" He thought back to the interrogation. They provided as much information as they could about the Crow god, but…

"We haven't done enough," she said, completing his thoughts. She furrowed her brow in deep thought. "But…I'm not sure what we can do right now. We're out of our element and we're stuck in this world until we or Hypnos can find a way back to ours. I need to rest…prepare some spells." She bounced her fingers against each other as she continued to ponder their next moves. "Do you think you can contact the Dragon god, like you did before?"

"The only way for me to know that is to fall asleep," Takato replied. He looked at their bed, considering the mattress and the blankets covering it. "Looks comfortable enough…"

"Better get started then," Rika said, settling herself down on the floor, crossing her legs and closing her eyes in preparation to meditate. Takato climbed into the bed, eyebrows rising at how soft it was.

_Maybe this'll be easier than I thought after all…_


	32. Chapter 32

Jeri entered her home, nodding a hello to the customers as she tried to quietly slip past her father and up to her room. Unfortunately, one of the customers hailed her rather loudly, raising his glass with a beaming smile.

"Tadashi! Your daughter's home!"

The man behind the counter looked up. His gruff expression melted slightly upon seeing the girl and he tossed a towel onto his shoulder.

"Peaches…" he said, becoming embarrassed as his customers suddenly began snickering at him. Jeri smiled back, feeling a bit sorry for her father. The man had made a lot of progress being more open and supportive of her, but he sometimes struggled with being public with his emotions. Especially when he had an audience.

"Hey Dad," she returned, ignoring the customers. "Sorry I'm late. I was with my friends."

Tadashi's face fell a little at that. "We'll…talk about that later," he replied, to which Jeri felt her heart pinch at that. "I'm just glad you're home." He tilted his head to one side, furrowing his brow slightly. "Where's Calumon?"

"Hm? Oh, he's playing with some friends of mine," she replied, remembering him chasing after Ai and Mako after everyone left Hypnos." She paused and chewed her lip for a second. "Um…is…Mom home?"

"She's out with your brother at the park. She should be back soon. Do you have any homework today?"

"I…" Jeri hesitated, not wanting to lie. Ms. Asaji had been generous today (though that likely meant that everyone would get hit with double the assignments tomorrow), but she wanted some time to herself. After some struggle, she decided for a half-truth. "...I need to study. Exams are coming up after all."

Tadashi nodded. "All right. I'll let you know when Shizue comes home. Would you like anything to drink?"

"Oh, no. I'm fine, thanks." With that, she scurried behind the counter and quickly raced up the stairs to her room, closing the door behind her with a click.

Alone.

The silence in the room almost felt oppressive to her. In a lot of ways, she was reminded of her time trapped in the D-Reaper's prison with nothing but her thoughts for company, but she quickly pushed the feeling away. Making her way over to the beds, she set herself down on the lower bunk and swung her feet up, taking a look out the window. The twin towers of Hypnos lay in the distance, dominating the view of the city. For the first time she realized how much she had taken that for granted.

Sighing heavily, she looked away and tucked her legs together and straightened her back out. Taking another deep breath, she closed her eyes and slowly let it out. She continued that way for some time, focusing only on her breathing.

She meditated now since being freed by the D-Reaper. Henry showed her the basics, partly due to her therapist and partly at Takato's urging. Since taking it up she felt…well, _better_ was perhaps a bit of a stretch, but there was something that could be said about its effect on her life. She had a tool that worked for her—one of many—and that was important.

She had a long way to go however. With each breath, her mind threatened to pull and tug in every direction. The quiet of the room; the worries she felt toward her friends, especially Takato; Her father's plans for the future; Leomon…

With that name the face of the human visage of Leomon came unbidden to her mind and her back stiffened in response, her expression souring with sadness.

She hadn't expected to see him. Of all the things that could have happened, that was far at the bottom of the list. She felt a knot of hurt form in her throat and the sense of emptiness she struggled to create shattered like a window pane.

Opening her eyes, she blinked, realizing that she had been crying a little. Dabbing at her face with one hand, she sniffed lightly.

_Even after all this time it still hurts,_ she thought, one hand touching the orange-trimmed D-Arc in her dress' pocket. She had no use for it these days, but it helped to have it there, especially since every so often it would display an image of Leomon above the screen. There were times she was left wondering if the digivice held his _soul_ or something to that effect. Something like a 'last save' like in a game. She never brought it up though, feeling herself a little foolish for such thoughts. The dead never returned after all.

_Snap out of it!_ She scolded herself, slapping her cheeks lightly. _You can't help your friends if you're like this!_

_But what can you do?_ a small voice—the voice of self-doubt—chided her. _You're not a Tamer anymore._

Jeri glowered at the empty room and touched her digivice reassuringly.

_I don't know,_ she thought, dismissing the doubt. _But I'll find a way. Takato… Rika… Impmon… No one gave up on me, so I won't._

The what and how still hung in the air however, a silent elephant in the room, almost taunting her in spite of her motivation.

_Well…_ she thought. _To start…_ She closed her eyes and resumed her meditation. While it irked a part of her to do so as it meant a whole lot of no action being taken, she needed this. Her first step was healing her emotional scars, and no one could do that best for her but herself.

_If only Leomon were still here though…_ she thought before letting the silence of the room take her again.

**###**

"Happy! Happy! Happy!"

"Wow… Somebody's had too much sugar…"

Takato gave a light laugh at Kazu's remark as he and the rest of the Tamers followed Henry as he carried Suzie on his shoulders.

"She sure seems energetic for someone who's supposed to be sick," Takato remarked, glancing over at Rika from her place beside him, arms folded over her chest. "You'd think she went to the amusement park instead of an alien world."

"Princess Suzie runs on a one-track mind in case you didn't notice," spoke up Terriermon, popping up from Takato's shoulder with a giggle. From up top on Guilmon's head, Lopmon nodded sagely, if reluctantly.

"She hasn't changed a bit since I first met her in the digital world," she noted.

"Probably for the best," replied Terriermon. "The rest of us ran around like chickens with our heads cut off when we first showed up there. We kept getting lost!"

"Wouldn't have if Kazu and Kenta didn't decide to walk into the path of a data stream," _harrumphed_ Rika.

"I heard that!" Kazu yelled from behind her. "And if I recall right, you jumped in right after us!"

"And don't think I don't regret that sometimes," Rika sighed, readjusting her arms.

"Come on, Rika. You don't mean that," Takato laughed. Terriermon raised an eyebrow.

"She doesn't?"

"No…" Rika admitted after a moment, looking as though she had just tasted something awful. "But sometimes I'm tempted to."

"Well at least you're honest about it," Terriermon said. "Not that I don't agree with you. I mean, it _is_ Kazu…"

"Hey…!"

Terriermon giggled. "Momentai." He looked at the others. "So what's the plan? I know Yamaki wants us to sit on our hands and wait until he has more information, but I don't think I can stay still for that long."

"It's amazing that you can stay still at all, Rabbitmon," Rika cracked with a smirk. "But you do have a point and _I_ don't want to just stand around and wait. Do we have a plan of action or anything?"

"Um…" Takato glanced at Henry's back. "Henry said he needed to check on something first."

"Like what?"

"Probably the program he was running yesterday," Terriermon said.

Rika raised an eyebrow at that. "Program? What's his computer stuff have to do with a digital copy of me, Takato, and a human Leomon running around?"

"Maybe he created them," spoke up Kazu as he closed in, hands behind his head. "I mean, I dunno about you guys, but these computer guys are starting to sound like mad scientists."

Takato and Rika both drew to a halt and gave the visor-wearing boy odd looks, to which Kazu returned. "What? I was paying attention."

"That's ridiculous," Rika snorted.

"Don't you have a yellow ninja fox running around that's based on a card game?" Terriermon teased. Rika's mouth opened in protest, but quickly snapped it shut and looked away in embarrassment.

"Okay, but I don't see why that has to mean Henry. He's smart, but last I checked he's not Shibumi. The guy can program in his sleep, but he can't build something like Grani."

"Ah…but I created Guilmon," said Takato, pointing at himself while patting his partner on the head. "And I don't know the first thing about computers. I mean, besides point and click."

"Uh-huh," Guilmon spoke up, enjoying his partner's affection. "Takato didn't need anything but a drawing pad and his imagination."

"Way to ruin my point, Gogglehead," Rika sighed with a shake of her head. "Look, it's great that we all like to think of Henry as Einstein, but…" She paused as she remembered the meeting at Hypnos. _Come to think of it, Henry was just about to say something before the alarms went off..._

"It might not be so difficult as you would think, Rika," came Renamon's voice as she appeared behind her. "In the digital world, dreams and desires can become reality, and all human-made data that resides there has some part of a human's desires within them. Perhaps it was the same way with Henry."

"So you're saying Henry wanted to see Rika and Chumley get together as a couple and dressed like they're from a fantasy story?" asked Kazu. "That's weird."

"C-Come on…" Takato twittered nervously, fighting down the ferocious blush that suddenly blossomed onto his face, twin to the one growing on Rika's as she stared at Kazu with a combination of shock and fury. "That's… We don't know anything about what's going on. I mean…" He turned his eyes over to Terriermon. "Um… Can you say something? You've got to know _something_ about what's going through Henry's mind. He said something earlier about a story and…"

_"Story?!"_

Rika suddenly stepped up, nearly causing the boy to shrink back reflexively. There was something about the way she stood and the way she was looking at Terriermon that made him feel a healthy fear for his health.

"Takato?" said Terriermon, his voice tinted with sarcasm. "Did I ever tell you how you sometimes talk too much when you get flustered?"

"Ah…"

"Never mind his motor mouth," Rika pressed. "What are you talking about? Story? What story?"

"Hey," backtracked Takato, trying to do damage control. "Shouldn't we at least wait until Henry sees if he's right or not?" He had wanted to keep his friend's privacy due to how embarrassed he had appeared when the topic had been broached on Growlmon's head, but now thanks to his big mouth, the cat was out of the bag.

Rika tapped a finger on one arm. "By the way you sound you already think he's right. And if you think he's right, I want to know."

"Wow," Terriermon said, awed at the girl. "If you put _that_ much importance in Takatomon's opinions…"

_"Rabbitmon…"_

"Okay, okay, sheesh," Terriermon caved while Kazu, Kenta, Guardromon and MarineAngemon exchanged nervous glances. Guilmon likewise eyed the situation with more than a little concern. Rika smelled angry. Not terrifyingly so—at least not yet—but enough to warrant some worry. He looked over at Renamon, who regarded him with eyes that betrayed nothing.

_Oh boy…_

"So…" Terriermon began. "It all started while Henry was messing around with his digivice. Suzie came in wanting to hear a story…"

**###**

"Suzie, please calm down," began Henry as the little girl's foot nearly caught him in the face.

"Sowwy," Suzie giggled, snuggling against her older brother's head. "I'm just glad to be home. I'm feeling _so_ much bettew! I think I wished away my icky cold!"

Henry smiled, though his smile was a troubled one. His little sister was now involved in something and he didn't have a clue how deep it was. _This Crow god sounds like something completely outside of our experience. If he's capable of granting wishes and use them to manipulate reality, we might be in big trouble…_

"Henry!"

The half-Chinese Tamer turned at the sound of his name to find that his friends had fallen back a ways. That wasn't the focus of his attention however as he saw Rika storming toward him, face flushed with Takato chasing after her, trying desperately to calm her down.

_Uh oh…_

"Um… Yeah?" he began carefully, wondering what it could be she was angry about. An idea was tickling in the back of his mind though, given Takato's frantic expression.

"Rika…" began the goggle-wearing boy, but the girl brushed him off as she drew up to Henry, eyes flashing.

"What the heck kind of stories were you _telling_ about us?!" she demanded heatedly. "Me and…and _Takato?!"_ Her face flushed all the more deeply as she fought to say the words, so much so that it now competed with her hair for the color crimson. "Are you _kidding_ _me?_ What kind of digimon ate your brain that made you even _think_ that was a good idea?"

"Rika…" began Takato. "He was just telling Suzie a story because she was sick. It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal for _you,"_ Rika snapped. "What? Do you think that because of Parasimon that I'm some silly little princess that needs saving or something? Is that what's going through your Goggle-headed brain?"

"No!" Takato replied, struggling to keep his cool now. "Why would you even think that, Rika? When did I ever do something to make you think that?" At that, Takato felt a deep sickness build up in the pit of his stomach. Did he do something? Say something? Was he the one at fault here? Just what was going on all of a sudden that would make her say that to him?

"Jeez Rika," Terriermon scolded from his shoulder as Kazu and Kenta now drew up. "Why're you jumping on Takatomon for? It's not like he was there having a laugh at you or anything. Momentai!"

_"Don't_ momentai _me,_ Rabbitmon!"

"Rika, Takato has nothing to do with the story," Henry intervened, already seeing her responding fire building up in her eyes. "I'm sorry that I've made you upset. I didn't mean to do that."

"I'll _accept_ your apology if you answer one question," Rika said, turning away from Takato and missing his darkening expression. "Why the two of us? Why _us?_ Me… _Jeri…"_ She shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around all this. All she knew though was her anger. The words of her classmate from earlier in the day played through her mind, which only served to fan the flames as she returned her gaze to her friend. "A _princess_ and a _knight in shining armor_ , huh? It's bad enough Ryo and Takato fall over each other trying to play the part…" Takato flinched unnoticed at that. "…but you?"

"I don't understand…" Suzie began from atop Henry's shoulders, her voice trembling a little. Rika's sudden outburst had taken her by surprise, and seeing her turn it on her friends was even worse. "Why is Wika angwy at the angwy kid?"

"You're just a little kid, Suzie," Terriermon sighed. "It's going to be a tough one to explain…"

Now it was Suzie's turn to seethe with anger. "I am _not_ a little kid!" she yelled. At that, her digivice burst to life and a piercing light exploded from her body.

"Wha…?" Henry squawked as his sister began to grow in length and weight, forcing him to nearly collapse to the ground, unprepared for the suddenness of what was happening. The Tamers backed up, uncertain as to how to respond to this development. As the glow began to subside, their eyes widened. Suzie…

"She…grew up?" Kazu summed up, looking over at Guardromon, utterly baffled. "Did her digivice seriously just make her grow up?"

"It would appear so…" began the cybernetic digimon. "I guess it is true what your mother says, Kazu. Kids these days _do_ grow up so fast."

"That's not what she means you big lug nut," Kazu groaned.

"Ah…" Kenta blinked and adjusted his glasses before looking over at MarineAngemon, who simply shrugged his wings. Indeed, still sitting atop Henry, Suzie definitely appeared to be older. Her height was now on par with theirs, and though her face was still round, the shape had changed slightly, losing some of the cherubic innocence that she had from before. Her hair, though still wrapped up in their buns, was slightly longer down the back. Blinking her light-red eyes, she looked down at Henry, who was struggling to get out from under her.

"Henry?" she asked, her pronunciation of her R's now flawless. "What are you doing on the dirty ground?"

Guilmon and Renamon both exchanged looks. The crimson dinosaur found himself deeply troubled by how wide the vulpine digimon's deep, blue eyes were with surprise.

_If even Renamon is surprised by this, I think that means trouble,_ he thought, returning his attention to Suzie as she staggered up off her brother and proceeded to try and help him up. _Oh boy…_


	33. Chapter 33

Rika and Takato's eyes both snapped open as the door to their room opened, revealing a pair of Hypnos agents framed in the light of the hallway.

"What's going on?" asked the Brush Knight, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes—what little he had been able to get that is. From her spot on the floor, Rika relaxed her meditative stance and dropped her arms, her eyes searching the agents'.

"Their lord has summoned us," she said, getting to her feet. "What is it? Did something happen?"

The pair of agents exchanged glances before looking back at her. Rika sensed bemusement behind the mask of their training. "If you would come with us…" began the one on the left, stepping to the side. Sighing, Rika looked over to Takato as he climbed out of bed.

"Very well then," she said. "We had better not keep our hosts waiting."

They fell in line between the two agents—a security precaution, though one that was not necessary as neither had any intention of going anywhere. For a moment, Takato wondered if he should try pumping the pair for information, but quickly decided against it. From his albeit brief experience in this world, the people of Hypnos had far tighter lips than many of the men and women he served with in his world. The only person that he felt could keep a secret better was Leo.

_I wonder how he's doing. I hope he's okay. Yamaki put him up in a different room away from us. I wonder if I should see about looking for him…_

"Takato!"

"Huh?" His head snapped up and he blinked in bewilderment at Rika before realizing that she had been trying to get his attention. "Oh! Sorry about that."

"Off in dream land again?" she asked. "I wanted to know how that went for you while you were sleeping."

"Nothing," he replied, shaking his head and yawning slightly. "Not yet anyway. I wasn't asleep long enough."

"Hmmm…" Rika narrowed her eyes as they waited by a group of doors. One of the agents pressed a button and it lit up. Takato's eyes lit up at this, causing Rika to roll hers in response. When she was first introduced to the 'elevator' she very quickly learned that they were Takato's new favorite entertainment. The notion of stepping into a box and the odd sensations that came along with it before being deposited on another floor—all so smoothly and quietly—excited his imagination, leaving him wondering what other marvels this world possessed.

She had decided then and there to not to tell him about the flying chariots she had seen earlier. They needed to be focused on the here and now so they could resolve this problem and return to their world. Gods knew how her knight could be whenever he became fascinated with something.

The doors dinged open and they stepped inside.

**###**

"How much _longer_ is this going to take?"

The petulant whine coming from the girl laying on a bed sitting inside a white tube caused the shaman to scowl ever so slightly.

"We're almost done, Suzie," said a thick-set, dark-haired man wearing glasses, trying to put her at ease. Rika recognized him from earlier; Janyu Wong. "Just be patient. We'll have you out of there in no time."

"Mmmnnngh…" the girl grumbled from within the tube.

_"Suzie?"_ Rika asked, her eyebrows going up. At this, Janyu turned around. She could see the pained expression on his face, his emotions barely held in check.

"Thank you for coming," said Yamaki, approaching them from the other side of the room, the metal lighter in one hand flipping open and closed with a click. "There has been a development."

"So I see…" Rika replied, regarding Suzie, who was watching her, wide-eyed from inside the machine. "This is the same girl who…" _What's the word again? Oh yes…_ "…bio-emerged from before?"

"She's… _bigger,"_ Takato observed, inching closer for a better view. "What happened?"

"We believe that it has something to do with the device that Suzie brought with her… The _gift_ of the Crow god. It reacted earlier, but did nothing that we could observe or detect. At least until the Tamers arrived a short while ago. We've been having her undergo some tests to see if there's a connection and if anything can be done to reverse her transformation."

"I don't _want_ to change!" Suzie grumbled from within the tube, folding her arms over her chest. "I'm finally a big girl now!"

"Suzie…" Janyu began carefully, but the girl simply turned her head away, not wanting to hear it.

"She appears to be all right," Rika noted. _Aside from being a bit bratty that is…_ She and Takato shared a look, and she nodded at his unspoken words. "Where are the Tamers?" she continued as the knight went over to Suzie.

"I've detailed some agents to take them home as there is nothing they can do right now," replied Yamaki, flicking his lighter open. "I have a request."

"You want me to use my magic to assist you." A statement, not a question. Yamaki nodded to the girl.

"You're more familiar with what has been done to her. Can you…?"

"I can try, but it will take time. I will need my staff and something to write with… Paint, ink, chalk…" She looked at Suzie. Takato was smiling at her, talking warmly. She seemed a little more at ease, and fascinated, with him. She supposed she had every reason to be, given that he was a duplicate of her brother's friend. "Can you retrieve either of these things?"

"It won't be difficult. Is this required for your abilities?"

"Yes, it is."

"I will assign someone to it now."

"Thank you," she nodded. "One more thing."

Yamaki flicked his lighter closed. "Yes?"

"Where is the other one? The man called Leo? My…companion knows him. I believe he would like to see him."

"I can have him brought here as well."

Rika inclined her head in gratitude before returning her attention to Takato. By now Suzie was laughing at something he was saying. What it was, she didn't know, but it didn't matter. The knight was ever in his element when it came to dealing with children. Rika found herself smiling wistfully at the sight.

**###**

"Don't worry Mom," Henry said, wishing that he felt the assurance he was trying to give his mother. "Suzie is staying over at Hypnos while they run some more tests to make sure that she's all right."

"I don't understand…" Mayumi began, her eyes red with worry and fright. "Janyu… He said that you were bringing her home, but…now you say that she had to stay? Henry…" Furrowing her brow she took hold of her son by the shoulders. "Answer me honestly. Is Suzie okay? Your father has a habit of _not_ telling me things because he wants me to not worry or because of whatever he's working on is top secret, but…I _need_ to know." She took a deep breath to steady herself before continuing. _"Is_ Suzie all right?"

Now it was Henry's turn to take a breath. Like his father, he didn't like making his mother worry. It was one of the reasons why he had kept Terriermon a secret for so long. Still, she was fervently asking, and he owed her the truth as her son. Certainly, she was strong enough to bear having two of her children being Tamers. He had no right to hide Suzie's situation from her.

"She _seems_ to be fine," he said after a moment of hesitation. Mayumi tilted her head to one side.

"But?"

"But…she's…changed."

"Changed? What do you mean?"

"Changed as in she's grown a few dress sizes," said Terriermon. "She had a growth spurt all at once!"

Henry sighed. "Terriermon… I was getting to that."

"Sorry…"

Mayumi blinked as she processed this. "Grown…? You mean she's…"

"Older," nodded Henry. "Yes. Somehow, she became older…about my age, and…"

So the question and answering went back and forth while Takato and the others watched. While Takato couldn't speak for the others, he felt relieved that Mrs. Wong was taking the news as well as she was.

_Man, I can't imagine what she must have felt when Suzie disappeared like that. Right out of her living room! I just hope that we can get this whole thing sorted out._

He glanced over at the others, Kenta eyeing Kazu warily while Kazu did the same with Rika, who regarded the whole scene with some worry and relief. Sensing his gaze, she turned toward him and Takato quickly yanked it away from the girl, striving to ignore her stare as she threatened to bore a hole through him. Peripherally, Takato saw how coolly she watched him, as if challenging him to meet her eyes. Soon enough, she returned her attention to Henry and he visibly relaxed, but only just a little. The air in the room was tense, and not just because Henry was trying to break the news to his mother as easily as possible.

He felt terrible. The way Rika had reacted to the news of Henry's story about her…and him… It almost felt as if their relationship had done a complete 180 and they were back to where they were almost a year ago, with her merely tolerating everyone because of the need to work together. He could understand to some degree. Henry's fairy-tale story to his little sister…

_Me and Rika of all people? That's…That's crazy._ He almost wanted to laugh if only to set his mind at ease over the situation. The idea of the two of them being a couple sounded absurd, not to mention it set off all kinds of nervous alarms in his head. He never once thought that he was even in her league or that she even looked at him in any manner that suggested interest. Today certainly proved that. Their worlds were so far apart—her mother a rich, successful model and himself the son of bakers—that it was just impossible to consider. Then there was the 'knight in shining armor' image he had whenever he and Guilmon biomerged into Gallantmon. Rika was fine with being helped nowadays, but she hated the idea that she 'needed saving' as though she were a weak little girl unable to defend herself, especially with Ryo constantly calling her 'Princess' as though she were really out of a fairy tale. He may not have had a part in things, but the effect was there all the same. He doubted the Parasimon attack helped things much.

_No wonder she's mad…_ he thought, curling his fingers into his palms. He wondered if there was anything he could do to make things better, to go back to the way things were, but for the life of him he could not think of anything.

_Jeri might know…_ he thought, but quickly dispelled the notion. He didn't want to drag her into this. Rika was mad enough already. For now…for _right_ now…the best thing he could do was focus on the situation at hand. They couldn't afford anymore distractions until the current crisis had passed.

Try as he might however, his mind kept steering back to Rika's anger. It left him with an awful feeling in the pit of his stomach, a black seed that only sprouted more roots as time wore on.

_This is bad…_ he thought barely feeling Guilmon's gentle nudging at his leg. His hand moved to cup his partner's head and rubbed him behind the ears, but the movement was mechanical and held little else in emotion, leaving Guilmon with a sad expression on his face. His ears drooping, he dropped his head from his partner's embrace and looked over at Renamon, who remained unreadable, yet watchful.

**###**

"This is the program I was running," Henry explained to the others, Mayumi having left to go straight to Hypnos to see her daughter, leaving the Tamers alone to their own devices. He turned his computer monitor to give them all an unrestricted view.

"All I'm seeing is numbers," Kazu said, scratching the back of his head. "Can you tell your computer to speak Japanese, Chumley?"

"Maybe if you'd be quiet," Rika said, her tone even and tempered, "he'll _explain_ it to you."

"Small words, Henry," Terriermon chided from by Henry's ankle. The boy made a groaning sound and ran a hand through his dark hair.

"There's really not much to it. I wanted to experiment; see if our digivices displayed any kind of sentience like digimon do, or Grani did. They're all based on the same code and the digivice is meant to teach data how to behave. At least that's what Shibumi said when Takato and I first met him in the digital world."

"He said a lot of things," Terriermon added. "Like me being made for Henry and stuff about 'like-pairs'…"

"That's not the point, Terriermon," Henry interrupted. "Anyway, that's all there was to it. I had my computer running a diagnostic program I designed to search for artificial intelligence similar to what digimon have."

"What for, Henry?" asked Takato. "I mean, it sounds interesting, but our digivices never _acted_ like digimon…ah, did they?"

"No, but I was just curious."

"You know what they say about cats and curiosity," Kazu said, folding his arms over his chest.

Rika gave him a baleful glare, which Kazu returned with a raised eyebrow.

"What? I wasn't talking about you, Rika. Everyone says that."

"Right," Kenta said uncertainly, half expecting Rika to blow up. Strangely enough, Rika didn't. She instead simply kept the same cool demeanor she had since first unloading on Henry and Takato, never saying or doing more than was absolutely necessary to interact with them.

Kenta wasn't sure which was worse. It felt too much like he was waiting for a storm to come.

There came a pall of silence in the room, interrupted after a moment by Henry coughing.

"Anyway, there shouldn't have been any reason for the program to create anything out of the story I told Suzie. I just don't get it."

Rika folded her arms over her chest. "When you figure it out, could you delete it?"

The silence returned again as everyone looked at her incredulously. Renamon's dark-eyes widened imperceptibly, aghast that she would say such a thing.

"Uh…Rika?" began Takato carefully. "They… Our doubles… They're living people."

"I _know that!"_ she snapped. "I'm not telling him that he _should_ , I'm asking if he'd be able to." Rika's fingers tightened around her sleeves as her expression hardened, not meeting the boy's eyes. "Is it possible for someone to do it if they had a mind to?"

"I…suppose," Henry replied. "But I have no idea. I couldn't even begin to tell you, Rika. I don't have the equipment to know anything about their world."

After another moment, Rika unfolded her arms and dropped her hands to her sides. "When you figure it out, let me know. Until then…"

"You're leaving?" asked Takato. "But I thought you wanted…"

"I'm going _home,_ Gogglehead," Rika said harshly, causing the boy to snap his mouth shut with an audible click. "Henry can work this out _without_ me being here." She paused at the door, but didn't turn around. "Later," she added, exiting the room. Behind her, Renamon cast one last look at the others before vanishing into thin air. Everyone sat in silence until they heard the sound of Rika leaving the apartment.

"Man," Kazu said, his tone indicating exasperation. "Is it just me, or is she just plain crazier than a fruit bat sometimes? Talking about blowing up that story world?"

"She _didn't_ say that, Kazu!" Takato berated. Kazu snorted.

"She sure _sounded_ like she did. I wouldn't put it past her right now. She took both of you guys to the cleaners today. I haven't seen her this mad since we were in the digital world!"

"Kazu…" Takato ran a hand through his hair, trying to organize his thoughts and failing. His thoughts and feelings were too frayed to be of much help. Henry regarded him with a sympathetic expression. He was, after all, to blame for it.

"Either way," he said. "Rika's got the right idea. Everyone should go home for now and get some rest. I'll run some tests and see what comes up."

There were some reluctant nods of agreement, and soon enough Kazu and Kenta left, with Takato and Guilmon joining them hesitantly, leaving Henry and Terriermon alone in his room.

"Well that went well," Terriermon spoke up after the apartment door clicked shut. "So what are you going to do?"

Henry sighed despondently. "For now I'm going to run a diagnostic of my program and see what I come up with. I really should turn this over to Hypnos, but I'm worried about exposure to their systems could do if the program has started evolving. It's better to play it safe. For a while anyway until I get something sorted out."

"Hmmm…" Terriermon glanced at the bedroom door that their friends exited. "Just as long as you don't tell any more stories in front of that thing."

"Don't worry, Terriermon," Henry replied, rolling his eyes at the long-eared digimon. "I've learned my lesson. I just hope that we can fix this before things get out of hand."

_Any more than they already have that is…_ he added mentally.


	34. Chapter 34

Rika stepped out of the elevator of Henry's apartment complex, eyebrows bent in anger that she strove, but failed, to keep hidden. Renamon phased into view next to her.

"Would you like me to take you home, Rika?" she asked. Though her face was expressionless, Rika knew her well enough to detect the tiniest hint of concern in her partner's tone. With effort, she softened her expression to put her at ease and shook her head.

"No thanks, Renamon," she replied. "I could use the walk." Heaving a sigh, she placed her hands into her pants pockets and started to head toward the exit. "I need to clear my head."

"As you wish, Rika," Renamon nodded, vanishing into thin air once more. Rika could still sense her close by. The vulpine digimon was rarely far, something that comforted her. A friend she could always count on to be there.

Now the question on her mind was whether she was the _only_ friend she could count on.

Rika joined the throng out in the streets and quickly melted in alongside them, her thoughts feeling as chaotic as the stream of the crowd around her. She wished that she had her headphones with her to drown it all out, but unfortunately they were at home gathering dust for the day, leaving her with her thoughts to trouble her peace of mind.

_Terrific,_ she thought sarcastically. Against her will, she mentally went back to Henry's apartment, remembering the tense mood, the way Kazu looked at her guardedly… The way Takato pretended to not look at her; pretend that everything was normal while all the while his expression and the way he moved suggested to the entire world that he thought she hated him now.

Unconsciously, she fingered the corner of her full-heart shirt, remembering the last time he looked at her in fear. Back then it was for entirely different reasons, but never once did it occur to her that he was overstepping any bounds. It took a battle to perish the thought and things between them settled back to normal.

Now however… Could things go back to normal as before? After today?

She came to a stop at an intersection, the cross-light signaling for her that it was not safe for her to get to the other side. She found herself angry at having to wait. She felt restless. She _needed_ to be moving.

She broke away from the crowded streets and bee-lined her way toward the park. She needed some quiet… Someplace _away_ from people. Home would be a good place, but if her family was there, questions would come and she didn't want to answer them.

Upon entering the tree line that signaled the beginning of the park's boundaries, Renamon materialized next to her, falling into step beside her so easily she might as well have been there from the beginning. Normally Rika would have smiled about that, but she knew the fox digimon had something to say.

"What is it, Renamon?"

"I thought that now that you have some privacy, you might want to talk about what happened."

"There's nothing to talk about," Rika replied succinctly. "Henry did something stupid and now he's trying to fix it. What else is there?"

Renamon said nothing, but continued to walk beside her. Rika sighed, knowing full well that Renamon was referring to the white elephant she was trying to brush under the rug.

"This is all Ryo's fault."

Renamon raised an eyebrow at that.

"He was the one who started calling me _Princess,"_ she clarified. "Ever since we met him, it's been one stupid joke after another with him pretending like he's some kind of hero."

"I don't understand," Renamon said, tilting her head to one side. "I was…under the impression that it was Takato and Henry you were angry with."

Rika _harrumphed_ , still making her way down the park path, her head bent ever so slightly to give Renamon the impression that she was a bull charging forward.

"Even Einstein's have their egghead moments," she grumbled. "And I believe him when he said Takato didn't have anything to do with his _story._ I just…" She bit her lower lip and her finger tightened around the hem of her shirt. "I was just upset. Takato got caught in the crossfire." She chewed on her lip for a second, her expression softening. "I really should apologize for that. It's just… Henry or Terriermon—I don't know which—told him about this and they didn't tell me until I made them." She narrowed her eyes again and _harrumphed_ again. "Probably because they were afraid I'd turn into the _Digimon Queen_ on them."

She heard a light laugh to her side and she cast a sidelong view at her partner. "Did you just… _chuckle?"_

Renamon's bemused expression told all, though she said, "Of course not, Rika. But what does this have to do with Ryo? How are Takato and Henry connected to him?"

"Ryo just has the annoying habit of showing up to rescue me like I'm some stupid princess out of a fairy tale. Like I _need_ his help. Henry just turned that into a story and used Takato instead of Ryo." She grated her teeth together. "Of course, why _wouldn't_ he?" she muttered irritably. "Takato _literally_ becomes a knight, so he actually looks the part. _Gogglehead._ "

"I…see," Renamon replied carefully, not certain what the right response to her partner was on the matter. She could understand to a degree Rika's pride and desire for self-reliance, but she understood that sometimes assistance was necessary to win a battle. She was more than grateful for all the times Renamon herself had fought in her defense and saved her from danger. Furthermore on the matter, Rika had gone and done the same for the others, most notably when the D-Reaper pulled Takato and Guilmon down into the park, and she remembered the sudden burst of fear Rika felt when the Parasimon dog piled on them just prior to their unleashing Gallantmon's _Crimson Mode;_ how she started to rush to his defense, leaving herself vulnerable to attack.

_In the end, it all comes back to fairy tales,_ Renamon thought, still uncertain as to what Rika meant. There were many things about human behaviors that left her puzzled. However, in spite of this, she would try to understand them and support her partner.

While Renamon mulled these thoughts around, she suddenly took notice of a faint mist beginning to rise from off the ground and billowing around her partner's shoes.

_A bio-emergence?! Without warning?!_

"Rika!" she exclaimed, catching the girl's attention. Upon her turning around, her body began to dissolve into a snowy field of energy. Eyes widening, Renamon leapt toward her partner and grabbed hold of her. A split second later, they both disappeared, and the fog dissipated.

**###**

The princess looked up from her task over to where her Brush Knight was. He stood next to the Suzie Wong—now older—with a troubled look on his face.

"I don't know…" he began carefully. "This world is awfully strange…not to mention amazing…but…moving pictures that talk? That just sounds unbelievable."

"Well that's because you're from a magical kingdom my brother made up," Suzie teased. Takato scratched the back of his head, still not convinced in the least. Folding her arms over her chest, Suzie gave him a haughty, knowing look. "I can prove it to you, you know. I'll bet anything that I'm telling the truth."

Rika sighed. _Of all the things we've learned today—such as our being characters in this girl's bedtime story—_ this _is the one thing he chooses_ not _to believe?_

There were times where her Brush Knight completely and utterly baffled her with his woolheadedness.

"Don't take the bet, Brush Knight," she advised, connecting the marker lines together around Suzie, forming a circle. "From everything _I've_ seen I wouldn't be surprised if the people of this world landed on the moon."

"The Owl's eye?!" Takato laughed. "Come on… That's ridiculous!"

Suzie tilted her head to one side, smirking all the more broadly now. Rika eyed her Brush Knight with amusement.

"Ten crowns says you're wrong."

Looking back and forth between the two, Takato now looked uncertain. Through all this, Janyu smiled from his place at his computer, almost seeming to forget the fact that his daughter had been radically altered by otherworldly forces.

"Um… How's that circle coming?" he asked, turning away from his work for a moment.

"Almost done," Rika said. _For the eleventh time,_ she added in her mind with more than a little sarcasm, if a bit of hyperbole. This was actually only the third time that she constructed the seal. The lettering and setting of the spells was the difficult, time-consuming part of the whole operation, which had so far not been helped by the fact that the writing utensils used so far were inadequate for transmitting the magical energies she used. After the second time, she opted for a quick, cheap spell—a messenger, or an 'origami' as Suzie had called it—that now sat atop Janyu Wong's computer, scratching its paper beak against a wing. The marker worked.

_At least it does with simple spells,_ she commiserated, beginning the inscriptions. _Well, let's hope that this works o… Huh?_

Blinking, she looked up from her spell and over at the wall, not exactly looking at it, but more seeing _through_ it. Suzie tilted her head to one side as she saw this. "Uh… Are you having a _Renamon moment?"_ she asked, causing both Takato and Janyu to turn toward the princess as well.

"Rika…?" he asked, stepping toward her. Rika narrowed her eyes, her senses reaching out.

"Something just happened," she said, getting up and grabbing her staff from the wall behind her. Wasting no time, Janyu pulled out his cell phone and began dialing Yamaki's number.

**###**

"There was an abnormal reading emanating from the park," Riley said from her seat as she scanned the network. "But it was like the other anomalies from before. We're barely picking them up and most of the time that we do they appear no different from any data that is normally exchanged between the real and digital worlds."

Yamaki scowled as he flicked his lighter closed. "Run another scan based and compare it to the previous incidents. Any additional data will help us determine a more accurate method of detecting the anomalies from the new world."

"Already on it sir," said Talley from behind Riley. "However this one appears to be a bit different from the previous ones. It's like it's… _inverted_ , like data was being transmitted in the opposite direction."

"Can you tell what was exchanged?"

"Not yet sir. The information is still new, and it could be that part of the reason why we're having a hard time detecting anything is because of the digital world. We might be receiving some destructive interference if the frequencies are similar enough, but nothing is certain right now."

Yamaki nodded. The best thing he could do at the moment was let his people work. "Very well," he said. "Let me know when you have anything new to report."

"Yes sir."

Yamaki moved to leave when the buzzing of his cell phone interrupted him. Pulling it out, he flipped it open.

"Yamaki," he answered sternly.

_"It's Henry!"_ came the voice of the half-Chinese Tamer from the other end. _"Kazu just called from a payphone. He says something's happened to Takato."_

**###**

Rika felt sunlight playing upon her face as she slowly came to. Scrunching her eyes up to blot out the light, she rolled over and stretched.

_"Anybody get the number of that Locomon?"_ she heard Terriermon grumble in her mind, obviously sounding as tired and wiped out as she felt. Groaning, she sat up and blearily took a look around her. Brushing a strand of red hair out of her face, she scowled. She did not recognize her surroundings. She was on a bed, soft and full of feathers, in a room that looked like someone had hewn it out of a tree with an axe, with the walls and support beams full of rough cuts and covered in tree bark. The room itself was plain, though with an open window that lacked glass.

"W-Where…?" she began, only to be interrupted by a low moan from the floor.

"Rika…" said Renamon, sitting up. Rika barely managed to restrain a guffaw at the sight of the poor vulpine digimon. Her fur was all disheveled, standing on end. Very rarely did she ever get to see her partner as anything other than perfect when it came to her appearance, usually requiring a particularly powerful opponent to upset it so. She saw no injuries though, and without any recollection of a battle, Renamon looked as if she had just woken up with the worst case of bed-head she ever saw.

"Wow Renamon… You…" She caught a snort and bit her cheek to fight down the brewing laughter. Renamon swiveled her face in her direction, blue eyes dispassionate and one ear bent in an awkward way that reminded her instantly of Takato during one of his 'bad days'. "I mean… What happened?" Sitting up she again took a look around her so as to better resist the urge to laugh. It worked and her mind quickly resumed focusing on the matter at hand. "Where are we?"

"I do not know, Rika," Renamon said, shaking her head. "The last thing I remember is grabbing hold of you just as a digital field began to form."

Looking toward the window, Rika got up from the bed and went over to it, taking a gander outside. She saw people— _humans—_ meandering about while horses carrying passengers and supplies trotted by.

"I think it's safe to say that we're not in Shinjuku anymore," she said. "I see a lot of people though. We might be in my double's world. The digital field must have brought us here."

"Then it appears that our first priority is to get home," said Renamon, getting to her feet. "And if failing that, somehow make contact with…"

Rika turned toward her partner with a raised eyebrow at her sudden stop. "What's wrong?"

Rika saw what she could only call an amused smile—barely visible though it was—appear on her partner's face as she indicated the floor with a nod of her head.

"It would appear that we were not alone in our abduction."

Curious, Rika circled around the bed to find both Guilmon and Takato lying flat on the floor, unconscious. As if to drive the point home, Guilmon suddenly let out a loud snore, causing the girl's expression to sour.

"Why am I _not_ surprised?" she said sardonically.


	35. Chapter 35

_Takato found himself surrounded by a sea of fire._

_The flames, red and gold with tints of blue along the edges, flickered and swirled, moving to brush up against him. Takato jerked back at first, only to fall into a wave directly behind him where they engulfed him. He gasped at the heat, but not in pain as he expected, but in surprise at how soothing and comfortable it was. The feeling of hearth and home; a warm blanket; Laughter in the arms of a loved one… A pleasurable ache that he remembered from a time that felt like another lifetime and one that he felt lost without. Relaxing in the fire, he allowed it to flow around him, his hands spreading open in acceptance of all the heat offered. The azure color now dominated the inferno, and it drew up around his body, forming a shape of its own, feminine in appearance. Blazing hands caressed his cheek as Takato found himself searching its face._

Jeri… _he thought, facial features beginning to appear as he lost himself in the torrent of emotion within. It was not Jeri's visage that took hold however, but it was familiar all the same. Striking, determined eyes born from an indomitable will, yet gentleness lay behind them, shimmering like light upon water. The girl's hand still lay against his cheek, warming it. Takato watched, feeling suddenly torn but unable to stop her as her face drew towards his, lips parting slightly…_

**###**

The knight jolted awake in bed, his mind awash with confusion at first from the last vestiges of the dream that clung to him as he took a look around him. He was in an unfamiliar room, though it was spacious enough. He felt tired. _Bone-deep_ tired…not to mention bereft of all clothing and equipment. He looked down at his body, his eyes chasing down scars from past battles, but saw nothing new or out of the ordinary.

It was daylight outside.

Takato groaned and pressed a hand—his left, for he found his right unable to rise for some reason—against the side of his head. _What…happened? The last thing I remember is…_ His crimson eyes widened as memory came flooding back to him. The battle against the rat-monstrosity… Ryo fighting by his side, asking him to buy them time… Jeri's voice.

_Oh gods… Jeri's voice! It spoke using her voice! She…_ Takato bit down on his emotions before they threatened to tear down his defenses. It was done and over with. Jeri was gone, the war was over, and he was…here; in the castle of the Kingdom of Makino, fighting on a new front.

_There's no time to think about the past,_ he told himself, but he felt his heart crack all the same. He never really allowed himself the chance to grieve. All he did was move forward, though quite often it felt all that accomplished was his staying in one place.

There was no other way he could think of however to move on. Until he was past his grief, he could only move. He…

Takato was broken out of his thoughts as he felt something move beneath the blankets next to him and a leg bumped up against his own. A leg that wasn't his own.

Slowly, reluctantly, he craned his head to the side to find the owner of the other limb resting peacefully next to him, one hand holding onto his lightly with strands of her red-hair sprawled between the two. She sighed contentedly and shifted again, her knee rising up and settling upon his thigh.

Takato's eyes bulged in their sockets as his heart jack-hammered relentlessly in his chest, threatening to break out.

_What is going on here?! Why is she…?_

The door to the chambers pushed open now and in walked the former Queen, Seiko, causing his heart to make one giant _lurch_ , the world practically coming to a stop as she drew to a halt and took in the situation with an appraising eye.

"This…" he began, his voice unbelievably tiny-sounding in the vast silence of the room. His throat worked, struggling to force the words out. "This… This isn't what it looks like."

Patently ridiculous, his heart told him, smashing repeatedly into his chest, echoing his head's desire to do the same to the nearest wall. _Of course_ this looked exactly what it looked like! What _other_ possible excuse could be drawn? Gods, his face was flaming now. After all the discussions of the politics in the area since his arrival, this was it. He was certain to be executed for this. He…

"Of course it's not, dear," Seiko said with a small smile, producing from seemingly nowhere a tray of food that she then went on to place on the table by the bed. Takato blinked, not registering that the former Queen was acting in the role of a servant, such was his shock. Was she toying with him?

_She… She really can't think this is anything_ but _what it looks like… Can she?_

"Rika has been watching over you since yesterday," Seiko informed him. "At some point she fell asleep next to you." Seiko's smile grew slightly, almost fox-like in appearance, as if at some joke. "I had some servants provide the two of you with a blanket so she wouldn't catch a cold." She glanced down at where Rika's hand lay, entwined around Takato's. "She's rather protective of those within her service. She worked herself to exhaustion healing the injured from yesterday's battle."

"Is…" Takato swallowed, still unable to believe that Seiko or Rumiko weren't threatening to flay him alive for the scene. Composing himself as well as he could and doing his best to ignore the fact that he was naked, even with a blanket covering him, in front of the Princess's grandmother, he continued. "Is everyone all right? What happened?"

"Beyond the injured that I mentioned, along with some local damage, everyone seems to be fine so far. The Queen oversaw your healing personally, though Rika felt the need to intervene." She glanced over at her granddaughter before returning her attention to the furiously blushing Takato. "The Queen is holding council now. If you feel that you are well enough to attend…" She paused, her smile inching ever closer to her eyes. "I imagine that you would like to be presentable for court though."

At this, Takato's blush darkened further.

"I shall send for some fresh clothes," Seiko said, turning and leaving the flummoxed Takato in bed, Rika still holding onto his hand. Gathering his courage, he looked at her again and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that she was still clothed.

_Well, that's one complication that I can do without,_ he thought, beginning the process of disentangling himself from the Princess…only to scowl when he noticed that doing so would require the sort of strength that would most certainly wake her up.

He looked over to the corner to spy his sword, too far out of reach.

_I guess I can't just cut my hand off,_ he thought sarcastically. _I swear the gods are doing this to me on purpose…_

"Mmm…"

_Oh great… There goes my heart again…_

Removing her hand, Rika pushed herself up, rubbing at one eye. Takato stared at her, half in fear but also half in wonder at seeing her waking up this way; her hair slightly disheveled and her eyes bleary and unfocused. If not for the silk robes she wore and her beautiful features, she seemed less a princess and more like anyone that he would have known back home. She seemed… _normal._

It was ridiculous of course. He had seen her awaken before. There couldn't possibly be anything different about this time.

Her eyes met his, and for a moment Takato could have sworn that he saw something behind them, but the moment was gone and she looked away. Digging her legs out from the covers, she swung them over the side of the bed and got to her feet.

"Ah… Good morning?" Takato said, feeling as though he had just missed something important.

"You seem…well," she replied, her tone neutral.

"Yeah," Takato nodded. "I guess your mother did a really good job."

"She didn't do much," Rika said, combing a hand through her hair. "You weren't injured. She simply made sure that you were all right and resting comfortably."

Takato tilted his head to one side, detecting a twinge of hostility from her. _Well, they were mad at each other yesterday,_ he shrugged mentally. He nearly pulled away the covers to join her, but quickly remembered his clothing situation underneath.

"Well, she still has my thanks. I hope I can repay her."

Rika finished her makeshift adjustments to her hair and placed her hands on her hips. Finally turning, she forced a smile on her face. There was that look in her eyes again, and this time it held a moment longer before vanishing once more. Takato felt a heavy weight in the air forming between them. In his mind's eye, he envisioned her once more next to him, resting peacefully, and he flushed visibly. Rika saw it, because her smile dropped almost immediately and she began to head toward the chamber doors.

"I'll detail some servants to prepare a bath for you," she said before exiting the room, leaving the knight alone. The door opened and closed with a heavy thud, and Takato allowed himself a moment to visibly relax.

_That…was awkward,_ he thought. _Not to mention strange._ He sighed despondently. _Well, maybe not so strange. I'm nothing but trouble here after all. The Queen is probably watching us. There's no way that she's going to think this is okay, innocent or not. I can already see them having another 'talk' about this._

Looking about the room, he wondered how the Queen was watching… _if_ she was doing so. Leaders often had eyes and ears to inform on the doings of the people within their borders.

_The Queen knows magic too… Maybe she's spying using something like that crystal ball I saw from before…?_

Takato gripped the sheets and closed his eyes.

"My lady… My Queen. I don't know if you're listening, but…I swear to you, I will do nothing more than protect the Princess from all threats, even if that threat is myself."

"Um… Sir knight?"

Jumping in alarm, Takato whirled his head about to find a brown-haired young woman standing in the doorway with clothes in her hands.

"Ah…yes?"

"I have clothes for you," she said, placing them at the end of the bed. She gave him a coy look and then did the same at the door she came through. Takato's body temperature soared. Yes, Rika being here and leaving looked _exactly_ the way it did.

**###**

Rika made her way down the hallway, her expression as unreadable as the stone making up the castle walls. Inside however, she carried the memory of Takato's that she witnessed yesterday within her heart, a memory that pulled and tugged at her like a lode stone.

"Trouble, little one?"

"Sneaking around again, grandmother?" she asked. She didn't sound surprised. Seiko chuckled softly as she walked by her side, her pace keeping steady, as though she had always been there.

"You're getting better," she complimented. "I almost didn't know you were awake when I visited."

"Intercepting my mother's servants and sending your own won't stop mother from having a fit," Rika replied, refusing to be distracted.

"I simply wanted to see how your knight was doing instead of relying on reports. You seem to have given him a bit of a scare." She saw an alarmed look cross Rika's face for half a second before she stilled it. "But that could also be because of his dreams. They're rather lucid aren't they?"

Rika frowned, wondering why her grandmother was bringing that up. She sensed it earlier in the night, and it had largely been the reason she decided to join him in the bed, weaving spells as she did so in the hopes of calming him, evoking feelings and emotions that were more readily comforting than the nightmares that plagued him.

Thinking back though, she remembered their first encounter where he first appeared to her in a ghost-like manner. _He claimed to have just been dreaming then…_

"He talks in his sleep," she muttered, though her words didn't have much force to them. For all her attempts at feigning irritation, she could only think of the emotions she felt setting her spells, the sound of his heart beating while she lay next to him, and the memory that continued to sit there in the back of her mind. Seiko eyed her for a moment, smiling softly.

"Men often have the odd quirk or two," she said simply. "You'll be surprised by what you'll find. Some good, some bad… I'm certain even Ryo has a few here and there. He may talk in his sleep as well."

"He's not someone whose quirks I want to learn _anything_ about," she grated, wondering where this was going and already guessing as to the direction. "I may be marrying him, but I don't have to love him."

"You don't have to love someone to learn a thing or two about them, though it does help," Seiko replied, the fox-like smile Takato had seen earlier returning. Rika blushed lightly, feeling as though she had just walked into a trap. "But you already know that."

"You're just going to dance around this aren't you?" she grumbled, turning her face away. Her anger was feeling genuine now. "You're like Mother and everyone else in the castle. My Brush Knight has everyone's back hair up."

"It has come up once or twice."

"Everyone should just _stop!"_ Rika exclaimed. "What happens between us _isn't_ anyone's business! He's trying to help us!" She ran a hand through her hair, groaning in exhaustion. "I'm so tired of talking about this. All I want is to protect my home. He is able to help with that. I _hate_ how everyone sees him as an enemy just because I took him into my service. I hate all the assumptions everyone is making… All the politics and everyone telling me what I need to do, how to behave, who I can love…"

Her ranting fell apart at Seiko's gentle touch on her arm. Looking at her grandmother in the eyes, she saw nothing but sympathy and understanding. Rika looked away.

"Why do people _ever_ want to become rulers?" she asked in a lower voice. Seiko gave her arm a soft squeeze.

"Each of us has their reasons," Seiko said simply. Rika _harrumphed,_ not satisfied.

"How is _that_ an answer?"

Seiko didn't answer as they entered the washroom, wherein a servant stood, filling up a tub with heated water. Rika raised an eyebrow at her grandmother, who simply smiled.

"I thought to have one ready just in case for either one of you or both," she admitted. "It pays sometimes to be prepared."

Rika pulled her hands into tight fists and held them that way for a moment before releasing them. "Grandmother… About Takato…"

"Clean yourself up first, dear," Seiko said. "I'll have your knight join you. There are some things that need to be discussed before we meet with your mother. It will be important for the future."

"But…" Rika turned to find that the older woman had vanished. Rika scowled at the space she had vacated. _Tricks with light and shadows,_ she thought. _Always the same with her._

She looked at the tub and dismissed the servant with a wave of her hand. As the servant left, Rika immediately began to disrobe. Seiko said she was bringing her knight, but she didn't care. She wanted to feel the warm water on her skin now. She needed to clear her head, if only for a short while.

_He can be prudish all he wants,_ she thought, dropping her clothes on the floor and stepping into the tub, feeling a touch of mischievous excitement bubbling in her stomach. _Whether it's my Brush Knight or something else, I won't surrender anything anymore._


	36. Chapter 36

Takato took his time making his way to the area Rika's grandmother directed him to for his bath, picking at his clean clothes and the blue arm band tied around his sleeve, feeling very self-conscious the whole way. He caught the odd glance from a guard or a servant, very few of which were in any way subtle, and more than one took note of the arm band. It had been restored to him by Seiko, who returned to his chambers with the servant, reminding him to wear it as he went about. His actions throughout his stay here, from the incident with Ryuuji Tamashiro, his duel with the prince, Ryo Akiyama and finally his assistance in the battle with the Reaper, he had stirred up a not inconsiderable amount of controversy.

_If it weren't for the Reaper, I would have left a long time ago,_ he thought, his expression tense and pensive. _I'm a disturbance here for everyone, most of all for Rika._

He sighed, her face from earlier floating through his mind, and he paused on it. It struck him how different she had been when divorced of her duties as a sorceress and a princess to the Makino realm. How peaceful she had been sleeping next to him; the way she had laughed when he sneezed into the flour…

_If I could take away all of her worries…_ he thought, coming to a halt in front of the door, allowing the thought to continue on into the distance as he took hold of the handle and pushing it open.

All thoughts vanished in one mad rush as the door opened to Rika rising from the tub, water dripping off her naked body, and he stood there, dumbfounded their eyes meeting one another. She regarded him with a neutral expression, a shadow of emotion floating over her violet eyes before she raised her washcloth and wrung it out.

"You're letting the heat out," she said simply, and as if her voice had broken a spell, the boy mad a light, squawking noise. Remembering himself. Quickly shutting the door with a heavy slam, he spun around so that his back was facing her nakedness, giving her some privacy.

"Sorry," he croaked out. Rika shrugged.

"You know our traditions here," she replied. "Anyway, you're here. Best disrobe and get in so we're not overly long."

"I…" Takato began, his voice catching in his throat before suddenly sighing. Blushing profusely, he reached up and undid the clasp by his shoulder and began to take his shirt off. "I guess there's no point protesting. Not when war might be in the future."

"It is best to not waste any more time on your prudishness," Rika nodded in agreement before stepping out of the tub. "Besides, I've already seen a great deal of you. You have nothing to hide from me."

Something about the way she had said that caused Takato to pause and turn back in her direction, only to jerk away, his face coloring again.

"Well… You _are_ the princess and I _am_ in your service."

Taking up a towel, Rika proceeded to dry herself off. "But not a slave," she said, running the cloth through her crimson hair. After a moment, she set it down around her shoulders and cast a look over at her knight as he dropped his shirt to the floor. Sensing her gaze, he paused and turned back toward her, only to jerk around _again_ at the mere sight of her bare skin. Turning to face him more fully, she placed her hands on her hips, as if to order him sternly to 'hurry up'.

Takato kicked his boots off, fighting through the heat that flooded his face. His pants quickly followed and, after a moment of hesitation, his loincloth, and soon enough he was as bare as the princess. He swallowed, feeling self-conscious at the feel of himself rising at her sight, and shame flooded him.

"Sorry," he muttered, turning toward the tub and starting toward it, if only to get this over with as quickly as possible. Rika shrugged.

"You are a man," she said simply as he climbed in. "Just like I am a woman. You have nothing to apologize for, Brush Knight. You have served me and the realm loyally and well so far." As he settled in, she came up behind him and drew a finger over his back before settling her hand on his shoulder. "The kingdom of Makino recognizes your merit and intentions first before all else."

Takato tensed beneath her touch and Rika gave him a soft squeeze before retracting her hand. He frowned, sensing something more in it than he would have thought there'd be between a master and her servant. He opened his mouth again to speak, only to snap it shut when he saw her pale legs slip into the water beside him.

"R-Rika…" he stammered out as she set herself down.

"My apologies. It turns out that I wasn't as clean as I thought I was," she replied, raising her hands and frowning at her fingers. "A shame. I was in here quite a long time already, waiting for you to arrive."

Seeing their wrinkled look, Takato arched an eyebrow before chuckling a little.

"Better hurry up and get clean then, otherwise you'll turn into a raisin."

Rika blinked at him in utter confusion. "Why would I…?" she began, only to pause, glance at her fingers and then, after a moment, a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Raisins…" she said, mirth bubbling up in her voice as she struggled to keep from laughing. She quickly failed however. Leaning back against the side of the tub, she threw her head back and mirth broke free from her lips. Her knight looked at her in alarm as her shoulders shook before smiling and laughing a little as well.

"Come on," he continued, grabbing a washcloth and handing it to her. "Let's get you cleaned up all the way this time, otherwise we might have someone mistake you for the real thing and then the throne will be in real trouble."

Much to her surprise, Rika stuck her tongue out at him and threw the washcloth back at him. It struck him full in the face with a loud, wet slap before sliding into the water, disappearing between their legs.

"Maybe you really _are_ a raisin," Takato quipped with a grin. "Because I'm pretty sure princesses don't act like this."

Rika snorted, some of her humor disappearing now as she ducked her hand down to retrieve the washcloth. "I never wanted to be a princess any…" she began, only to falter as she felt her fingers brush against her knight's. Both faces grew red as her fingers entwined around his, and, after one long moment, she lifted their hands up out of the water. She gazed at them before turning her eyes up toward Takato's. She could feel the tension within them, and warmth buzzed the length of their limbs, running so deep that she was no longer sure where their own embarrassment began and the bath ended.

"The gods love their humor," she said after a moment, giving his hand a soft squeeze. Takato blanched at this gesture and reflexively pulled back, but her fingers held firm, keeping him from escaping.

"Rika…" he began, only for Rika to interrupt him.

"I saw what happened." Her tone was firm, but there was a tone in it that brought Takato up short.

"Saw…what?" he asked, the heavy atmosphere between them only growing.

"What happened to the girl from your village," Rika replied. "When I came in to check on you, I saw a spell of my mother's not…running properly, and I was tired when I dealt with it. I bore witness to your memory."

Takato blinked. "Oh," he said, feeling himself grow cold all of a sudden. Feeling the tension run out of him in one mad rush, Rika ran a thumb along his hand.

"I'm sorry," she continued. "I wasn't meant to see that."

"No… No!" Takato replied, collecting himself. "No, you said it was an accident. It's fine. I…" Running a hand through his hair, he pressed his lips together, struggling to find something to say. "I'm…sorry you had to see it."

Rika dipped their hands back beneath the water, her thumb still massaging his. She noted that he was now returning it, both of them trying to send comfort to the other.

"You have no reason to apologize," Rika said quietly. Shifting slightly, Rika turned around and clasped a hand behind her Brush Knight's neck and angled him toward her so that their foreheads were touching. She felt the temperature in his face rise several degrees again and he pulled back suddenly, his body trembling as he did so.

"I'm sorry," he said, staggering out of the tub. "I can't."

"Takato…?" she began, rising from her spot, one hand reaching out for him. Her wrinkled fingers barely brushed against his back before he retreated again.

"I _can't!"_ he exclaimed as his feet touched the ground on the other side. "This… You're the princess! The heir to the throne and betrothed to the heir to an empire. I'm a foreigner! This…" Clenching his eyes shut, he struggled to continue. "I'm sorry. I'm being _most_ inappropriate and negligent in my duties. I'm… I don't…"

He lifted a hand to his face and Rika felt her heart clench a little, her eyes taking in the scars on his back. She withdrew slightly, only for her face to harden.

"Maybe _I'm_ being inappropriate," she said, laying her hand on his back again, touching the scars. "But…I can't help but feel for you…about what happened."

_Feedback from the magic,_ she thought, feeling her heart clench again painfully within her breast, her fingers tracing along the angry scars that marred his flesh. _That's all it is. This feeling… It's from his memories… Just mere feedback._

She swallowed, a part of her wondering how much she actually believed that.

"You have done my home a great service and shown us great loyalty," she continued. "For that, you have my loyalty as well. My friendship. I don't want us to be simply a princess and her bodyguard. I want you to be assured that your troubles – your worries will have a heart to be laid to rest in."

As if in response to her emotions, her living shadow reached out and merged within Takato's, causing the boy to shudder.

"Rika…" he began, muscles knotting together. "It's…It's really nothing. There's no need…"

Rika drew closer to him.

"Please don't lie to protect me, Brush Knight…" she said softly. "My heart is where yours is allowed to rest."

Again, that stiffening of muscles, and Rika watched the knight's fists tighten around each other. She wondered what was going on in his mind. She wondered if she was doing the right thing.

_How…do I feel about this? About him?_ A thousand emotions wound their way through her, twisting and snarling together in her heart. She had been protective of him ever since his bout with Ryo and her mother focused her attention on him like an enemy, loathe to see him entangled in the politics of her home country. He was an innocent trying to help, but her mother would crush him if she so much as saw him as a threat to her country's treaty.

She hated that.

For Takato's part, he felt a great deal of confusion at this sudden display of affection for him. Because of what she saw? It was possible, he supposed, but all the same, he still felt that this was _immensely_ inappropriate for the two of them. If the queen was watching them as he suspected she was doing…what would she make of this?

_It…almost feels like a marriage proposal,_ he thought, thinking back to the arm band she had given him, and how he found her sleeping beside him, seemingly without care for how it looked or how difficult it made her position in the kingdom.

If nothing else, he didn't want her to shoulder all the burdens, least of all his. She would try to do so whether he agreed to or not. It felt unfair to him. As Jeri told him once upon a time, no one could carry the world on their shoulders alone forever.

_Jeri…_ His throat tightened at the memory of her face and how she came to her end. Being here with Rika in this manner almost felt like a betrayal, but all the same, he didn't want her to shoulder everything by herself.

Jeri wouldn't have.

"Only if you allow me to lighten your burdens," he finally replied, his voice soft. Turning around, he took a deep breath and embraced the princess. It was an awkward hug, given their current state of nudity, but he wanted to show her how much her offer was appreciated. The girl gave a light, surprised sound, having not expected the hug, but she found herself returning it all the same. Her hands clasping around his back again, she nodded against him and, much to both of their surprise, she moved closer and brushed her lips against the corner of his mouth.

Both of them blinking in surprise at the unexpected gesture, they pulled apart, gazing into each other's eyes, silently asking questions that they both knew they didn't have an answer for. Rika's mouth moved, trembling slightly as she searched for something to say.

"We…We should finish getting you cleaned up," she fumbled out, feeling horribly awkward, suddenly becoming aware of him in a way she hadn't expected before.

"R-Right," Takato nodded in quick agreement, dropping his hands from around her.

The tub called to them, but neither were sure that they wanted to answer.

**###**

"Um… This is new…not to mention bad."

Her arms folded together, Rika _harrumphed_ at her goggle-wearing friend as both he and Guilmon surveyed the situation. "Way to state the obvious, Takato."

When the pair had woken up, she hastily explained what she knew, which unfortunately wasn't much, but given the setting of the environment they found themselves in, they drew the obvious conclusion.

They were somehow stuck in the fantasy world Henry seemed to have constructed in the story he told to his sister.

"How are we going get out of here without being seen?" Takato asked, turning back to Rika. "I mean, our partners aside, we're going to attract an awful lot of attention with the clothes we're wearing. We don't look anything like these people."

"This is likely the same place that your doubles arrived in," Renamon said, approaching the pile of gear in the corner and sifting through it. "It would appear that there is some clothing that we can use, but there remains the matter of Guilmon."

"Uh-huh," the crimson reptile nodded as he ducked down from the window. "I don't think I can hide in a cardboard box this time."

"Not to mention I think that whoever's running this place would notice if we tried to make off with the sheets," Takato added as Rika took a gander at the clothes Renamon was laying out, grimacing at the dress. While it was divided for riding and looked considerably more functional for combat, it was, in the end, a dress.

More proof, if proof was needed that her double was not her in the least. She would _never_ allow herself to be caught in something like that.

_Except I might have to,_ Rika scowled, taking in the clothes that were being set out next to it, appearing rather obviously to be made for a boy of Takato's size, if not a little bit bigger.

_I wonder… If there aren't enough clothes if I could get Gogglehead to wear the dress…_

A light blush crossed Rika's features as she considered the thought, and she smirked suddenly.

"Rika?"

"Hm?" Blinking, the girl turned back toward him, coloring slightly again at having been caught daydreaming. _Harrumphing_ again to cover it, she pushed away from her spot and sauntered over to the clothes. "We should probably wait until dark or something to get out of here. The less attention we draw, the better."

"Uh… Right," Takato nodded, his brow furrowing slightly before glancing out the window. "That might be a while though. What do we do in the meantime?"

Rika was silent as she picked at the clothes, not answering his question or even certain she _wanted_ to answer. An elephant sat in the room with them and they both knew it.

For once, Takato was brave enough to point it out.

"Rika… About what happened earlier…"

The girl sighed. "You _really_ want to talk about that?"

"Well, you were pretty upset earlier and…" The boy rubbed the back of his head nervously. "…this _is_ as good a time as any to talk about this. If you want I mean."

_"If_ I want," Rika grunted. "You know I'm not exactly the sort of person to talk about this kind of thing."

"But why?" Guilmon asked, padding over to the girl and poking at the dress. "Oooh… I bet you'd look really pretty in this."

"Guilmon, you saw her double wearing that earlier."

"Oh, right." Guilmon laughed and beamed at Rika. "I guess I win that bet. You _do_ look pretty in it."

Rika blushed _ferociously_ at the compliment and glared balefully at the crimson dinosaur, who shrank in response.

"Ohhh… What'd I do wrong?"

"Um, can we go back to Guilmon's first question or…something?" Takato asked, stepping between the two. "Look, I get that you don't like talking about things that stress you out, and I'm okay with that. I just…worry sometimes, you know? It's hard to know what's on your mind and I sometimes feel like I'm not really good at helping you when things get…weird."

Rika folded her arms together and turned away from the boy.

"Things are _always_ weird, that's the problem," she said irritably, causing Takato to raise an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Rika shifted uneasily, feeling everyone's eyes on her now.

_I hate this,_ she thought bitterly at being the center of attention. This conversation was the _last_ one she wanted to have.

_But…maybe that's why we need to have it…_

"It's just…" she began hesitantly, feeling her heart banging painfully in her chest. "I sometimes feel like…"

She was interrupted from her thoughts by the sounds of sudden screaming from outside. Breaking out of her thoughts, she quickly joined Takato by the window just in time to see people running by, as though fleeing from something.

It didn't take them long to figure out what it was. A number of black shadows fell over them, and as they watched, a massive, black feathered crow, humanoid in appearance and bearing twin swords at its hips, swooped down and grabbed the first person it saw – a child – and brought it up into the air, screaming and thrashing within its talons, trying to break free.

It found freedom, but not in the way it would have liked, as the next thing they saw was that very same child come crashing to the ground with a bone-cracking _smack_ , shattering into innumerable shards of data.

Rika felt her heart grow first cold and then white hot with fury. She didn't even need to turn to see that Takato felt the same. His knuckles were bone white as he clenched the window frame.

"Renamon," Rika began, taking out her digivice.

"Guilmon," Takato said, doing likewise.

The two partner digimon nodded in agreement, not even needing to ask. Fury and thunder, it seemed, was going to be their first order of business in this world.


	37. Chapter 37

As the next crow warrior reached out with its talons to snatch up another victim, Renamon flung herself out of the window faster than the eye could see. The human eye, that is, as the crow's face twitched at her blurring form, but so committed to its goal that it lacked the time to respond properly. Renamon lashed out with a fist and struck the crow across the beak, causing its eyes to roll up into its head, its wings going limp. It crashed to the dirt with a heavy thud and Renamon landed across from it with a smooth grace.

The battle, she quickly realized, wasn't over.

Looking up, she saw at least a dozen more crow warriors circling above, screeching excitedly at each other. Her sudden and unexpected appearance clearly having taken them by surprise. They were quick to regroup however as they drew javelins from behind their backs and took aim, hurling them toward the vulpine digimon with deadly accuracy.

Unfortunately for them, as accurate as they were…as _fast_ as they were, Renamon was faster…and _deadlier._ No speed boost card was necessary. A simple slash of her arms sent out a flurry of razor sharp, glowing shards that cut into the javelins, causing them explode into thousands of splinters before evaporating into shards of data.

_This_ caused the small flock to pause, making note of the ease at which she dispatched their attacks. After a moment of cawing to each other, one of their number, adorned in silver armor, flew in for a landing and drew itself to its full height.

"You fight well," it said, its voice thick as its mouth was not made for human speech. "What is your name?"

"I am called Renamon," the kitsune replied, her eyes tracking the crow warriors as they lit upon the rooftops surrounding her. It struck her that they appeared to be attempting to draw her in some kind of tactical noose. "What is the meaning of your attack on this place?"

"This town lies within the domains of the Crow god," the avian replied, one claw coming to rest on its left sword. "The god of flight does what he wills with all that falls within his wings. That is all you need to know." Raising its other claw, it pointed at the vulpine digimon. "Whatever god you represent, know that you are out of your territory and you have no business here. If you wish to dispute this land…"

There was a scraping sound as the crow drew one of its two swords.

"…you will find _many_ arguments to be had from our side," it finished, its steel glinting in the sunlight.

Renamon narrowed her eyes, raising her fists.

"I have no dispute over land ownership," she said, her voice taking on a sharp, angry tone. "I have concerns over the way you treat those within your land. A child was murdered just now, and for _no_ justification!"

The crow took a practice swing with its sword. "The Lord of the Winds does what he will in his lands. These mortals are _his_ to do with as he desires."

With a sudden caw, the crows made their move, and a ring of lightning surged amongst the crows before coiling outward toward Renamon. Gasping, the vulpine digimon leapt into the air and teleported out of view, narrowly missing the electrical blast as it struck their own comrade, setting it afire and causing it to burst asunder into a shower of sparkling data.

"You missed," Renamon said, materializing behind one of the crow warriors as it ceased its attack, stupefied by what had just happened. Moving quickly, she latched hold of the soldier and with a quick twist, snapped its neck with a loud _crack._

Again, an eruption of data and then there were only eleven more that they had to deal with.

_"Pyro Sphere!"_ came the shout she was expecting, and within short order a crimson fireball spat out from the door of the inn, slamming into a crow warrior just as it drew a javelin to throw at Renamon, causing it to evaporate into fading data particles.

_They fall fairly easily,_ Renamon noted with a slight frown. _But then, they aren't exactly digimon._

Guilmon sprang into view, his claws slashing out viciously at a Crow warrior as it brandished an axe and attempted to hew his head off. With the speed upgrade card coursing through his data, the reptile deftly dodged the blow before following it up with another _Pyro Sphere,_ blasting his opponent apart. The crows saw quickly that things were not going their way, and they all took to the air, hurling javelins at Guilmon, testing to see if he would be any more vulnerable than Renamon. His pace didn't lag however, and he evaded the vicious javelins, sending streams of fireballs hurtling at the crows.

However, while they were slower than Guilmon, they were superior in their nimbleness, and at the distance they were Guilmon's attacks were easy to dodge, making the fight a stalemate. Renamon threw herself back into the fray, sending streams of glowing shards flying at their opponents. They tried to counterattack…to rally, but they were quickly proving to be helpless against the two digimon. Nonetheless, it didn't stop them from attempting to do as much damage as they could as they retreated.

Soon enough, the crows were too far away for any attack to be worthwhile, leaving the two digimon unopposed on the field, with all their defeated opponents deleted, save for the one Renamon had knocked unconscious earlier.

Rika and Takato emerged from the inn as Renamon and Guilmon knelt down beside their remaining, defeated foe, Guilmon growling dangerously the whole while that his kitsune comrade prodded it, investigating the crow. Information was power, and right now they needed to know as much as they could about their adversaries as possible.

"Renamon?" Rika asked, casting a glance over her shoulder and back at the inn they had vacated for any sign of the citizenry as they would surely become brave enough to venture outside and confront them. She was sure they would, given their appearance and the presence of their partners being so utterly outlandish. They would no doubt blame _them_ for the attack.

As of yet, none were to be had, but she doubted things would last that long.

"It has a heartbeat similar to humans," Renamon noted, pressing a claw to its neck. "This digital life form was made to be closer to mortals than digimon."

"Um…if we're going to be interrogating or whatever we're going to do with this guy, shouldn't we do it somewhere else?" Takato asked, taking a look around them. Shadows were already starting to appear in front of windows as people were starting to become braver. Rika grimaced, seeing them as well. It seemed her estimation hadn't been very far off the mark.

"A good idea," Renamon agreed, getting to her feet. "Rika, I should digivolve so that I can carry…"

_"Monsters!"_

A rock whizzed through the air and Rika found herself staggering backward as it glanced along the side of her skull, splitting open skin. Takato, Renamon and Guilmon all gasped in surprise as she fell into her partner's arms, dazed. _Furious,_ Takato spun around, hands clenching onto his digivice and cards.

_"Stop it!"_ he shouted. "We saved you! Why are you…?"

The boy didn't get a chance to finish as more of the crowd erupted onto the streets and a rock smacked into his cheekbone with a loud _crack_ while another struck him in the chest. Raising his arms to shield himself, Takato looked up just in time to see a red tomato come flying at him before splattering crimson across his face.

"Stop it! We… Ah!"

He didn't get a chance to finish as he saw someone rushing them with a pitchfork, murder in his eyes. Reacting quickly, he slashed a card through his digivice, and at once a shell of data materialized around Guilmon, growing to immense size before shattering with a tremendous explosion.

_"Guilmon, digivolve tooo…Growlmon!"_

The _much_ larger dragon rose to his full height, snorting fire from his nostrils before letting out a tremendous roar. _This_ brought the crowd grinding to a halt and the air was filled with screams again as the man with the pitchfork dropped his improvised weapon with a dull, stupefied clatter.

_"Get out of here!"_ Takato shouted, rage barely contained in his voice, causing the man to snap to attention and take off at a run. Within short order, the two humans and digimon were left alone in the street, Takato breathing heavily as Renamon helped get her partner to her feet.

"Takato…?" the girl began, her voice full of concern before wincing, one hand going to her head where she had been struck, her fingers coming back stained with blood – not a lot, but enough for her friends to worry. Hearing his name from her lips, Takato turned around and Rika nearly had a heart attack from the red staining his face before realizing it was tomato juice.

"Rika! Are you okay?" he asked, starting toward her. Rika wiped at her head, grimacing.

"My head hurts, but I think I'm fine. You?"

Looking him over, she found a nasty swelling starting on his cheek bone. She had heard the smack through the haze of her pain right before he lost his temper. She glanced over at Growlmon's looming form.

_Got to say one thing about him, when he loses it, he sure knows how to make a big enough scene…_

"Fine as long as you are," Takato breathed, visibly relaxing, though he still looked at her worriedly. "We should get out of here."

Rika felt a faint blush color her cheeks as he said that, but chose to ignore it as she withdrew her cards and digivice.

"Right," she agreed. A quick card slash and a moment later Kyubimon joined them, her burning paws coming to rest on the ground. Pocketing her equipment, Rika swung herself up onto her partner's back.

"Let's go," she said, indicating the spot behind her with a jerk of her head. Takato nodded and started forward before noticing something out of the corner of his eye; a small metal pot.

"One second," he began, running over to it.

"Takato! What are you…?"

"Trust me, we're going to need it," he said, snatching it up. He frowned as he started back toward them. "Wait, where'd that crow guy go?"

"He must have taken off while we were being mobbed," Rika suggested. "Will you hurry it up? What do you need that thing for?"

"Let's get somewhere safe first," Takato replied, swinging himself up onto Kyubimon's back, handing the pot to Rika for safe keeping. He blushed as he wrapped his arms around her waist, muttering a quiet apology. Rika rolled her eyes at his antics.

_For goodness sake. Him and Henry. It's not like he needs to apologize for hanging onto me._

Still, given recent events, she found her face coloring slightly. With a soft nudge with her knees, Kyubimon bounded off with Growlmon lumbering not too far behind.

**###**

The fire crackled as Takato poked through the boiling water in the pot he had salvaged from the town, removing one of the pieces of his white T-shirt that he had torn off earlier. The cloth steamed as he drew it toward him. Gingerly removing it from the stick, he went over to Rika, who was eyeing him with a thoughtful expression.

"Okay," the boy began, kneeling down next to her. Leaning forward, he brushed aside her hair and set about to cleaning her wound. "This isn't perfect, but it's better than nothing."

"You didn't have to sacrifice your shirt you know," she said softly, taking hold of the makeshift washcloth and taking over from there. Releasing his grip, he sat back, heaving a heavy sigh.

"We don't exactly have much to choose from," he countered. "I still have my hoodie at least, so it's not like I would be going around…you know."

Rika _harrumphed._ "Right," she said, withdrawing the cloth and grimacing at the blood. "Good thinking by the way. I didn't know you were an outdoor survivalist."

"I'm not," the boy chuckled, blushing as he rubbed the back of his head. "But Kai taught me a few things. He lives a bit more roughly you know, so he has to be a bit more mindful about that sort of thing. He thought it might be good to know."

"Glad to see that he was able to pass some of those smarts on to you," she smirked. "Are you going to do yourself next?"

"Hm? Oh! Yeah." Climbing to his feet, the boy went over to the fire and, using the same stick as before to draw out another torn piece of cloth for his own use. Using the pot to boil water to kill any potential parasites might not have been necessary, given that they were in _a_ digital world of sorts, but as they didn't know what sort of rules this place ran by, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Guilmon, can you take the pot off the fire now?" he asked, indicating the makeshift setup they had put together to hang it over the flames. Getting up from his spot, Guilmon took hold of the sticks holding it aloft and pulled them away, setting it down on the ground. Soon, once it cooled, they would have safe drinking water.

He heard the soft crunch of dirt as he pressed the cloth to his face, and he turned to find Rika setting herself down next to him. Taking hold of his hand, she retracted it from his washcloth and took over, pressing it against his injury before spreading out to deal with the residual tomato juice staining his face.

"Uh…Rika?" he began, blushing in confusion at this unexpected act. Her lips thinning, Rika kept her attention on her task, though crimson marred her cheeks as well.

"I'm just paying you back," she muttered. "Don't look too deep into it, Gogglehead."

"W-Wouldn't dream of it," the boy said, flummoxed as the red blemish deepened. Her violet eyes turned down to meet his, the washcloth going back to his injury. There it was; that elephant in the room, or rather campsite. One of _many_ elephants.

"I would have thought you would anyway," she chided, though her tone was neutral as she resumed her ministrations. "You and your dreams have a habit of doing weird things."

"Aren't you always assuming Takato has weird thoughts about you?" Guilmon prompted, earning him a confused look from the girl while words spilled out haphazardly from his mouth.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded, annoyed. Guilmon tilted his head to one side quizzically.

"Well, you know. When we met you at the alley, you asked Takato if he was in love with you. And there was that one time you thought he was going to compliment your shirt…"

"I-I think that's enough, Guilmon!" Takato stammered out, squirming under Rika's touch. Sighing, the girl gripped his shoulder and sat him back down.

"Take a chill pill, would you, Gogglehead?" she asked, shaking her head. Honestly, it was amazing that the boy hadn't had a heart attack yet with how wound up he could get sometimes. Retracting the cloth, she passed it back to him, her eyes contemplating him once more.

_We…do give that impression a lot…don't we?_ she thought before scowling. _Was_ there something going on between them? Had that been why Henry chose her and Takato to be the romance of his story to his sister? There had been times where she thought Takato was interested in her, and that whole mess on her birthday where he asked her out to go Cherry Blossom watching – as painfully obvious a distraction as it was – made it even _worse._

Just what was going on with the universe with regards to her and Takato?

Briefly, she remembered a lecture she and the others attended during the D-Reaper crisis about their digivices, hoping to learn something more about them from their creators, the Monster Makers. Most of them had been fairly mechanical in their descriptions, and she barely paid any attention to them beyond the 'communication' aspect since they lacked anything that told her how to use her digivice to fight the D-Reaper beyond what she was already doing. Shibumi's more mystical approach had caught her attention though; the matter of bringing together 'like-pairs'. She saw it as having to do with herself and Renamon the same way it had been for any of the digimon and their human partners, but now that she thought about it further…

"Are you okay, Rika?" Takato asked, shifting worriedly. Coming back to the present, Rika _harrumphed_ again and turned around, sitting herself down next to him while wondering where Renamon was.

_She should have been back by now with food…_

An awkward silence passed between them, during which Takato prodded the fire with his stick.

"Rika…" he began nervously, licking at his lips. "I know how everything looks… This place and our doubles and…our…weird moments." He blushed brightly at that as Rika looked at him curiously, realizing that he wasn't as dense as she thought he was.

"It's not a big deal," she shrugged. Takato swallowed.

"You sure? Because, back at Henry's apartment…"

"It was a mistake," she interrupted, folding her arms around herself. "Just a mistake, okay? I was upset. I thought Henry was hiding stuff from me, and I saw that he told you and not me, and I was just weirded out about everything involving our doubles so…just…let it go."

Takato hesitated before replying.

"Okay," he nodded. "But I just want you to know that I wouldn't think of you like that. Not…imagine you that way, I mean. Like you 'like-like' me or anything." He ran a hadn't through his hair, wishing that this wasn't as hard as it felt. "We're just friends, so…you don't need to worry about that kind of thing with me."

Rika was silent, not sure how to respond to that. Takato didn't see her as anything more than a friend, which she already knew, so she wasn't surprised by this by any stretch of the imagination.

Still… Hearing it out loud was… She wasn't sure how to feel about it, or even how to respond.

"You should consider taking your own advice," she decided finally. "So where do we go from here?"

The question was obvious, but for some reason Rika felt that there lay a double meaning behind it. If Takato felt it, he didn't give any sign as he dug out his digivice. When in doubt, the first thing they could check was the compass function. As she watched, the holographic circle rose up from the digivice's screen, swiveling around wildly before pointing ahead of them.

"I guess we go that way," Takato said. "I mean, it's not much, but it's a start. There's not a whole lot we know about this place after all."

Rika nodded, wishing they had Henry's brain to pick at. As irritated as she was by him at the moment, he was the person to go to for this place.

Tightening her grip on her sleeves, Rika scowled at the sky.

_Henry… This is all your fault._

**###**

Renamon sat in the tree, her collection of herbs and fruits that she identified held in one hand as she gazed out past the tree line. She had spotted the crow from the town making its way across the sky. While she would have been content to let it go and return to Rika and the others, she felt an odd pull to track it for a little bit to see where it was going, perhaps so that she could have a clue as to where to go and what areas were best to avoid.

She didn't like what she found.

The crow warrior came in for a landing amidst a flock of its brethren, but this was more than just any mere flock. A storm of wings and feathers stretched in all directions as far as her eyes could see, blackening the landscape and deafening it with the sound of their caws. This army was, fortunately, far enough away from their encampment to not be trouble or even be heard as anything more than mere birds at a distance, at least for the time being.

Renamon, however, had the distinct feeling that would change in the _very_ near future.

Getting up from her spot, the vulpine digimon vanished out of view to return to camp. She had been gone for far too long as it was.


	38. Chapter 38

"Takato is gone from this world," Yamaki frowned, flicking his lighter closed with a click as on the screen, a picture of a number of dots spread along the city bloomed into position, labeled as 'Tamers'. "And if our sensors regarding the digivices and their connection to recent events are accurate, Rika has disappeared as well. Likely wherever he has gone as well."

His lighter flicked open as he turned to the Monster Makers and the assembled Tamers. "At this stage, given the data readings and the recent incursions, we can assume that they both went to the same world as their duplicates."

"It's nice to know that we're on the same page here," spoke up Kazu sarcastically from his end of the table, arms folded over his chest. "I mean, we kind of figured on this when Chumley, you know, disappeared right in front of us."

"Kazu," sighed Kenta. "We didn't know about Rika though…"

"She didn't show up," Kazu snorted. "She may have been mad, but she wouldn't miss these meetings at all. It doesn't take much to connect the dots, Chumley."

"Let's stay focused," Yamaki said, cutting over the duo before either one could continue with their debate. "Henry. You said that your program was responsible for everything that's happened recently."

Henry nodded. "Yes. Well, to be more precise, I think it's the D-Arc that did it. My program was simply analyzing it for anything resembling the sentience that digimon have, since they're based on the same code. I'm not entirely sure how it went from there, except…" He frowned and shifted in his seat, becoming embarrassed. Terriermon, however, had no such difficulties.

"He pulled a Takato," the long-eared digimon piped up. "If _he_ could make Guilmon come to life with just a drawing, then what's to stop a digivice from doing the same thing if it can overhear stuff?"

"And God said, _"Let there be light,"_ Shibumi said, resting his chin in his hands. All eyes turned toward him at this questioningly.

"Is there something you'd like to share?" Yamaki asked. Shibumi gave a dry chuckle.

"Well, it's not really my field of expertise, but given what we've seen about digimon and their mythological connections, there may be something to it. There's an idea that goes back to the Hellenistic period called 'Logos' that, roughly translated, means word or 'spoken'. It's a term that's largely important in western philosophy, psychology, rhetoric and even religion. In terms of the religious side of things, from the Stoic philosophers, the Hellenistic branch of Judaism and also in the Gospel of John, it is identified as the animating principle of the universe and everything is made through it. Very much like a 'story' that is written down."

"There are ideas in quantum mechanics that suggest that an experiment that is observed will provide results that are expected, as opposed to an experiment left unobserved," said Curly, adjusting her glasses. "However, this largely applies to the micro scale of the universe and hasn't been observed in any large-scale phenomena."

"The digital world probably changes all that," suggested Babel from next to her. "Well, probably more like the Internet changes that and the digital world as it appears now is just the outcome. Millions of minds observing things like fictional worlds constantly and it's all connected to a bubbling quantum ocean…"

"…and energy gathered from solar radiation, the Van Allen Belts… And we know that human emotional energy is particularly potent in the quantum ocean since it enables digivolution, an energy intensive transformation," nodded Curly. "Digimon would just be the first of an explosion of life that our world hasn't seen since the Cambrian explosion."

"And digimon could just as easily be made extinct by this," Dolphin said grimly. "I've studied enough of the fossil record to know that how these things can go. This new breed of life forms…" He paused. _"Memetic_ life forms…that Henry created might be nothing now, but who knows what's going to follow? We keep pumping out stories and we consume them. That the quantum ocean hasn't already created a replacement for digimon already, especially with how fast the Internet is with ideas, is nothing short of a miracle."

"Let's keep in mind that most of the data that the digital world is bombarded with is inert, and digimon and digignomes are so far the only species that can interact with it in any meaningful way," said Shibumi. "It might have something to do with intelligence being needed like what we did with the AI research that created digimon…"

"Which brings us back to Henry's experiment with his digivice," Dolphin said, running a hand over his balding head. "I'd say it shouldn't be possible, but…then Grani gained sentience…"

"Um… How does any of this help us get Takato and Rika back?" Terriermon asked, breaking the sudden stream of thought. The Monster Makers all looked at the long-eared rabbit dog in surprise, having forgotten that there were others there and a situation that needed to be resolved.

"It doesn't exactly," frowned Janyu with a sigh. "If we're going to find them, we need to figure out _where_ this new world is, and that's _if_ they're even in that world to begin with." He glanced at his companions. "It'll be like trying to find a needle in a haystack."

"We did it once," Babel pointed out with a slight grin. "The digivices should still operate on the same signal no matter where they are. We can cut through the hay if we have a metal detector or something, right? Even if it doesn't give us an exact location, it'll give us a general direction to narrow things down in."

Yamaki smiled and flicked his lighter closed with a loud click.

"Then I suggest you all get started."

**###**

"I brought the program I was using in case you need to look it over," Henry said, passing a thumb drive over to his father. "I still don't know if it'll do any good. It was just analyzing the digivice's code."

"It still might be useful," Janyu said as Shibumi peered over his shoulder before plucking the drive out of his fellow Monster Maker's hand. "Hey!"

"Sorry. I was just thinking… Maybe it had more to do with expanded capacity? Most of its functions would be tied up in the bond between Tamer and digimon, but since you connected it to your computer than maybe the algorithm had a little bit more wiggle room to do more things in."

He grinned and looked at Henry. "In which case, it could very well be that your digivice has 'evolved'."

Henry frowned, feeling the weight of his D-Arc by his side. All of this started because of him…

"Henry," began Janyu, seeing his son's troubled look. "Why don't you take your sister home. She seems to be okay for the time being, and there's not much more we can do." He paused before he continued. "Mayumi would be comforted seeing Suzie, even with the changes she's gone through."

Henry nodded. "Sure thing."

**###**

Suzie felt big. She felt _very_ big. Happily skipping next to her brother with Lopmon in her arms, she felt as though she were standing on the shoulders of a giant. No… She _was_ a giant! In her mind's eye, the sidewalk was full of hills and valleys. Her feet quaked the earth and crushed forests. Oh, but _not_ villages! She spared those.

Princess Pretty Pants took care of those who were smaller than her. She cared for orphans. She didn't make them.

"Someone's certainly enjoying their growth spurt," Terriermon muttered from atop his partner's head. "Makes me wonder what she's going to be like once she gets older."

"Please don't encourage her," Henry sighed, not wanting to deal with just the _thought_ of his sister becoming as old as Jaarin or Rinchei. She was barely old enough to handle being twelve years old, a sudden shoot up from seven. There was _no_ way she would be able to handle being a teenager and everything it entailed with a mind that was not ready for it.

"I won't," Terriermon replied. "It's still weird seeing her like this though. Makes me wonder what you're going to be like. Your birthday's coming up soon, right after Rika and Takato. You're all getting older."

There was an odd note in Terriermon's voice as he said this, and Henry noticed.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Huh?" The long-eared dog-bunny blinked down at his partner before hugging his head with his ears. "Oh, yeah. I guess I'm just realizing that you're about to enter puberty yourself and it's going to be one hell of an awkward time for you."

"Hmmm…" Henry frowned now. "Yeah," he agreed. "Rinchei and Jaarin were… Well, they still _are…"_

"Insufferable teenagers?" Terriermon grinned, while Henry reached up and patted his partner on the head.

"Yeah. Something like that."

"Takatomon, Jeri and Rika are going to be the most interesting," Terriermon giggled. "Oh, it's bad enough just watching those three dance around each other right now. How soon do you think it'll be before Takato's voice starts croaking or he starts growing a beard? Jeri'll like the beard I bet if he grows one. Rika though…"

"What are you two talking about?" Suzie asked, coming to a halt in front of a toy store, rubbing her face in Lopmon's fur, taking care to avoid jabbing herself with her partner's horns

"Just stuff involving Henry's friends acting weird," Terriermon replied with a wave of an ear. "You know how it is."

Suzie giggled in acknowledgement at that. "Henry always knew nothing but weird people. Like in all those chat forums he used to go on."

"He still goes on them. Just not as much as he used to."

Henry blushed lightly, frowning a little before opting to change the subject.

"We should get going," he said, starting forward, only to stop when he saw Suzie giving the toy shop a wistful expression. Turning, he glanced it over. In the window were a number of dolls fluffy stuffed animals of all manner of species. All of them had large button eyes that almost seemed to beg Suzie to hug them.

In response, her arms squeezed her partner close to her chest, eliciting a light grunt from the chocolate-furred rabbit.

"S-Suzie…" she gasped, causing Terriermon to chuckle.

"Why do I get the feeling that no matter old Suzie gets, she's still going to have a death grip?"

"Terriermon…" Henry began before turning to his sister. "Would you like to go in and see what's inside?"

Suzie jumped a little and hugged Lopmon to her chin, burying the lower part of her face in her partner's fur.

"N-No," she replied in a muffled voice, blushing a little. "I'm a big girl now. Big girls don't play with stuffed toys."

"Technically you're _not_ actually a big girl…" began Terriermon, earning himself a warning tap on his partner's head.

"What?!" he exclaimed. "Henry! She was seven years old _how_ long ago? That's a lot of life to cram into a short time span."

"He-He's right," grunted Lopmon, twisting in her partner's grasp so she could get a bit more room for her lungs to breathe in. "Suzie, if you want to have a look, go ahead."

Suzie blushed even harder. "Are you sure?" she asked quietly.

A small smile drew itself upon Henry's face. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he nodded to her.

"Why don't we see what's inside?" he suggested.

Still holding Lopmon close to her, the girl nodded hesitantly, and together they went inside and into a world of fluff and love.

**###**

_Love…_ The thought ran through Rika's mind as she, along with her knight, made their way through the corridors of the castle. The two of them were distracted, their minds going back to the moment in the bath when they shared a light kiss. She hadn't expected herself to do that.

_Feedback,_ she told herself, her hand tightening on her staff. _It has to be the feedback. That's all there is to it. I've just picked up what he felt for that girl. It's nothing more._

Yet, a part of herself couldn't help but wonder if that was the case. She thought back to her interaction with him. Despite his formalities and preference for treating her like the princess, she felt a bit that he was making an effort to know the real her, which was not something anyone but her grandmother did for her in life.

_Does he…actually try to know the real me?_ she wondered, her brow furrowing questioningly, wanting to shake her head. She felt badly mixed up inside and the situation was most certainly _not_ making things any better. The other problem with the feedback and the emotions that it was causing to stir was that it made her look at how they interacted with a different light. It was possible that she was seeing only shadows and interpreting them to be something else entirely.

Still… The feeling she had when she held his hand… The way she felt when she kissed him… The move had come out of nowhere. Even for feedback, it seemed…outlandish.

"Did you two have a good talk?"

Rika jumped in surprise at the sound of her grandmother's voice, and behind her, she heard Takato swear out loud, and she imagined him going for his sword almost immediately.

_"Grandmother!"_ she exclaimed with a loud hiss, spinning toward the elder woman, who regarded the pair with a sympathetic look.

"My apologies," Seiko said as they ground to a halt, Takato relaxing his grip on his sword hilt as Rika envisioned. "I didn't mean to startle you. Are you two all right?"

_"Fine!"_ Rika growled a little more sternly than she had intended. "We're on our way to see mother as you suggested."

"Of course," Seiko nodded with a nod as she resumed her course. Blinking, Rika and Takato followed after her. The knight's gaze fell on Rika, having caught how jagged her words had become since their moment of intimacy in the bath.

He couldn't blame her. He wasn't even sure how to react to that himself, except that he believed that, if things such as that continued to occur, _if_ they continued, he would have to let her down as gently as he could and…leave once the situation was resolved.

_I have someone I care about,_ he thought, hand tightening on his sword hilt. _Well… I_ had _someone I cared about._

Memories of Jeri floated up through his mind, and he wished that he had been the sort who would find a bar to drown his sorrows in. Not that it would make a difference in the long run, but at least then he wouldn't be in this situation where he risked destabilizing the treaty between two kingdoms.

_It's just pity,_ he thought, loosening his grip on his sword. _I'm sure she just feels bad for me about what happened. It might even be because of that magic she got tangled up in. Feedback is a thing, if I remember what Henry told me right. It's nothing to get up in arms about. It'll pass like spring into autumn. It's nothing._

Yet, try as he might, he knew that the kiss had awoken something in him, something he hadn't felt since Jeri had been alive, leaving him to wonder where such feelings came from. He felt horrible about it. With the death of Jeri still so fresh in his heart, it felt to him that he was taking advantage of the princess to sooth his hurts.

_I can't do that,_ he berated himself. _I'm a knight. I'm sworn to the code. And even without that…it's just…wrong! I have to remember my place!_

He firmed his resolve, remembering his promise to the queen, made in the silence of Rika's bedchamber when she had left him alone. He would do his best to discourage further events where possible and then, when the time came, he would take his leave of the kingdom, regardless of whether or not Rika released him from her service.

"Um…" he began, deciding to pick up the threads of conversation once more. "So what's going on at the meeting? Or has it started yet?"

"The queen is meeting with her court mages and generals concerning the lands beyond the city walls," Seiko replied. "For the present, I don't believe there is anything of note that has come up. Reports so far have indicated an…odd peace. If something is going on, it's either content for it to remain here, or it's laying low. The only thing that is noteworthy at the table is that the prince Ryo has something he would like to discuss. A plan of his that he has set into motion. He would like for everyone to be there however before he brings it up in the council."

"Is that what you wanted to talk about before we met with mother?" Rika asked, frowning a little. It struck her as an odd thing to take them aside for.

Seiko turned her violet gaze toward her granddaughter and shook her head.

"No," she replied simply, casting a look over her shoulder at Takato, who, along with Rika, arched an eyebrow. The princess drew to a halt once more and turned to face the woman more fully.

"Grandmother," she began, her words becoming hard. _"Don't_ play games…"

"No games," Seiko replied, continuing onward. "The two of you needed to have words." She paused and glanced over her shoulder at the pair, her expression soft. "It would seem that it's as I feared. It's an ongoing process."

"My lady," Takato flushed, bowing profusely. "I didn't mean…"

"Takato!" began Rika, turning toward him now. "Don't you _dare_ …!"

"Hush," Seiko interrupted, and just like that, as though thunder had broken across the land, the conversation was dashed. Takato jolted, feeling a heavy sense of _pressure_ rolling over him and he looked up at Seiko with awe in his eyes.

_She has depths even more hidden than I thought…_

Approaching them, Seiko placed a hand on their shoulders.

"That is enough for now," she continued softly. "You have more to discuss later, but if I might suggest something; don't be too angry with each other. Your hearts are young after all and the two of you are already tangled. Do straighten yourselves as best you can and remember that neither of you are to blame for how you feel." She glanced at Rika as she said this before turning to Takato. "Life has a way of happening, whether you want it to or not."

A pall of silence fell between them, and Rika shifted uncomfortably.

"Grandmother…" she began, only for a shake of Seiko's head to silence her.

"We're going to be late," she said, retracting her hands. With that, the elder woman turned and resumed their trek, leaving Takato and Rika to gaze after her before looking at each other.

"Is she…always like this?" the knight asked finally. Rika wrinkled her nose and glowered at the knight.

"Are you always going to apologize for stupid things?"

Takato blinked at that. "Rika…"

_"We're_ going to be late," she cut in, turning and starting after her grandmother. Takato watched her for a moment before sighing. Shaking his head, he followed after her, wishing he could understand the situation, and her heart, better.

_What's one more problem for me to add to the fire?_ he thought.

**###**

The door to the Wong family residence opened with a creek, and in skipped Suzie, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a smile on her face, Lopmon and Terriermon trailing behind her.

"Suzie!" Mayumi gasped from the couch, turning toward the door, her eyes widening as they fell upon her youngest daughter. She shot up and hurried on over to her, wrapping her arms around the girl. "Are you all right? You…" Pulling back, she looked the girl over, eyes full of worry and confusion. "You've…" She struggled for a moment to find the words to describe her shock without making Suzie upset. "…gotten so big," she swallowed finally.

"Yep!" Suzie beamed. "All I did was wish for it, and I got _reaaally_ big! Just like Henry!"

"You don't hurt?"

"Nope!" Stepping back, the girl gave a little spin, showing off her new appearance. "It's so cool! Now I'm a _real_ princess, just like in the stories!"

"Y-Yes," Mayumi replied, looking from her to Henry and back, her expression wracked with concern. "Just like in the stories. So…um…What does the princess want to do?"

"I want to watch a movie! Can I?" Suzie's eyes sparkled and she bounced a little on the balls of her feet, earning her a small, if shaky smile from Mayumi.

"Sure. I'll put in your favorite one."

"Yaaay!" Suzie squealed, running around to the couch and jumping down on it. Henry and Mayumi exchanged a look before the woman stepped closer to her son.

"Henry… Is she… Is she really…?"

"She seems fine so far," Henry replied while below, Terriermon nodded.

"She's still a ball of energy and crushing hugs," the long-eared rabbit-dog pointed out, indicating Lopmon, who let out a heavy breath, her tiny paws touching her sides gingerly. "As far as the digital world is concerned, this _really_ could be worse than her shooting up a few inches."

"Terriermon…"

"Okay, okay. She grew up _more_ than just a few inches… Sheesh! You know I'm bad at measuring."

"I'd better go see to Suzie," Mayumi said, pressing her lips together into a tight smile. "When will Janyu be home?"

"It will be a while," Lopmon said with a polite, respectful bow. "He's working on solving Suzie's situation as we speak, however…"

"Everything is figuring that _now_ is the best time to go nuts," Terriermon cut in. "So, basically the same as always."

"I think that's enough for now," Henry said in exasperation as he yanked up Terriermon into his arms. "I'll be in my room, so let me know if you need anything. Or if…anything weird happens."

"We will," Lopmon replied with another bow, and with that, Henry 'escorted' his partner to his room and closed the door behind him with a soft click. Terriermon looked up at him briefly before hopping to the floor.

"So…" he began carefully. "Now that we're alone, do you want to talk about today's weirdness?"

Sighing, Henry went over to his desk and pulled back the chair.

"There's not much to talk about," he replied, sitting himself down and turning on his computer. "Our job is to do whatever we can to find Takato and Rika, and then fix Suzie so she goes back to normal. Anything else we can deal with later."

"So you're postponing the whole talk about Rika kicking your butt in favor of Rika kicking your butt."

"Terriermon…"

"Broken Record…"

Henry blinked, having not expected Terriermon to mirror him with such a response.

"Is…that a nickname for me?"

Terriermon shrugged. "Rika came up with it, but now I'm starting to see why it never caught on the way 'Gogglehead' has." He made a distasteful face. "It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue as good. Don't worry, I'll think of something."

"Yeah, well, while you do that, I'm going to check on something."

"Like what?" Terriermon asked, hopping up onto Henry's bed.

"I'm going to see if my digivice has 'evolved' like Shibumi suggested. If simply connecting it to my computer gave it more processing power than…maybe…"

"Uh…Henry? Isn't this what _caused_ all this trouble in the first place?"

"I'm not going to tell any stories like what happened before," Henry chuckled. "I took a snapshot of my digivice's code before I plugged it in. I'm going to compare it with the code of my digivice _now_ and see if there's a difference."

"I don't know…" Terriermon said uncertainly, jumping over to his partner's shoulder. "I'm still not sure this is the best of ideas. I…hey, that's not your usual desktop wallpaper."

Turning, Henry raised an eyebrow, noticing that, unlike earlier in the day, the desktop had a new icon in the center of the screen. It was circular with a green coloration around it, similar to the ring on Henry's digivice. However, digi-code lined its surface, appearing more akin to Takato's gold-trimmed digivice ring. As he watched, a glow emerged in the center of the ring and suddenly Henry felt as though he had his mind stolen from his body and that he was floating now… Floating in some void alongside Terriermon. They were drawn to ward the glow, their physical bodies slumping behind them, almost against their will, disappearing into its all-engulfing embrace. The light burned…

A light that now, temporarily, burned unnoticed in the center of an orb at Hypnos.

And from that orb, came a voice, deep, powerful, and compelling. It spoke to Henry from the very depths of his soul, urging him to one and only one task.

_Finish the story… Finish it to my liking._


	39. Chapter 39

"That which is written, cannot be undone. That which has yet to be told, can be set in stone."

The Crow god peered into his orb, smiling as he saw the images of Takato and Rika sitting by the campfire, talking to Renamon, no doubt discussing what she had witnessed – his vast army, on the move – before it shifted to an image of Henry Wong, his eyes closed and slumped in his chair, mouth half open. His mother just now rushing over to him. A cruel smile drew upon his face as he leaned back in his throne, passing a clawed hand over the orb to return it to darkness.

"They're all in one world now," he said. "And soon, this world will fall under the shadow of my wings."

**###**

Rika, Takato and Seiko entered the throne room, the doors parting with a heavy, thunderous sound, and all eyes turned up toward them. None more so than Rumiko, whose gaze fell heavily upon her daughter and her knight. Rika met it levelly, her fingers tightening around her staff while Takato looked grim faced and tense.

_Does she know?_ he wondered. He felt certain that she did. There was little that the queen seemed to miss, and the orbs that she had in her possession…

Seiko turned a small smile up at Rumiko as they drew to a halt before her and nodded.

"Apologies for being late," she said. "The Hypnos knight was still a little under the weather."

"Hardly surprising, all things considered," Rumiko replied, the muscles in her face tense. Seiko's expression softened at the sight.

"Relax dear. You'll wrinkle if you keep that up."

Rumiko flushed slightly at the comment, but chose not to respond in kind. Instead, she cast a look around the assembly. Her generals on one hand, advisors on the other. Ryo, her daughter, Takato, and finally her mother.

"Prince Akiyama says that he has a plan of action if and when the Crow god makes an appearance at our door," she said. "Given events with the Reaper and _your_ presence, knight… Your presence and _what_ you are, I think we can safely assume that will be the case."

Rika cast a glance over her shoulder at her brush knight and saw the stiff line his mouth drew upon his face. They hadn't exactly discussed in great detail the situation of his having been chosen by the Dragon god as a vessel for his power; events having proceeded rapidly since his bout with Ryo. She hoped that he wouldn't hold himself to blame for all this.

"Have there been any rumors along the borders?" the knight asked, his hand caressing his sword hilt.

"Nothing as of yet," replied a tall, blond-haired man with blue eyes that Rika recognized as General Yamato. He regarded Takato coolly, and with contemplation, his hand resting on his own sword hilt.

"Regardless of what rumors there are or aren't, preparations should be made." Rumiko stood up and descended down the steps of her throne. "Prince Akiyama?"

"The god held within my jewel has granted a portion of its power within a number of weapons and armor in your armory," Ryo replied, stepping forward. "The seal upon him prevents him from utilizing the totality of his power, but by spreading it out amongst the soldiers, we can create a spell that allows us to use his strength on the field. This way we can match the Crow, god for god."

"Breaking the seal would be bad?" Takato asked.

"The Millenium god once attempted to break the world," Ryo replied, giving a light chuckle. "He is not to be trusted out in the open."

_"You wound me, my prince,"_ the jewel pulsed, as if echoing his laughter. _"I desired to reorder the world to my liking. That is hardly what I would call 'breaking' the world."_

Seiko glanced at the jewel in amusement.

"We all justify our actions to ourselves," she said. "Wrap it up in language that makes it easier. In my younger days, I believed gods were old enough and wise enough to not fall into such a trap. Least of all a lord of time."

The jewel gleamed brightly in bemusement at the old matriarch.

_"I have ever been one age, my lady. From the beginning."_

"Yes." Seiko's eyes shone back, her smile telling. "Yes, you have."

"If that is all," Rumiko interceded. "It is time that we pressed on to other matters. We cannot solely rely on Ryo's plan to defend ourselves. It should be regarded, at best, as a stalling action. We…"

Rumiko frowned, pausing in her speech, as if her choice of words had just escaped her mind. Seeing this, Rika tilted her head to one side.

"Mother?"

Jerking, Rumiko shook her head and turned away, climbing back up the stairs to her throne, one hand tightening into a fist.

"To begin with, this ordeal is centered around the Hypnos knight. He has been… _chosen…_ as difficult as it is to admit, given that he is not bound by treaty or sacrifice."

Coming to a halt before her throne, she laid a hand on its arm. It shook noticeably.

_"Not bound by treaty or sacrifice,"_ she murmured. "Such a dangerous thing. Perhaps _that_ is why the Crow god has emerged and waged open conflict upon the world."

There was a pall of silence at this, causing Ryo to glance at the others, suddenly feeling awkward. Something about the way she had said that did more than hint about what she thought about the whole situation.

"Be that as it may," Rika began, thinking the same thing. "It is the Dragon god's will, and we know quite well of the Crow's conflict with him and the Fox goddess. The Crow's impact upon the land has been noticeable after all, and so he should be opposed."

Rumiko turned, her gaze falling not on her daughter, but instead on Takato.

"Tell me something… What are your feelings toward my daughter?"

Takato blinked at that, a slight discoloration staining his face.

"My queen," he began formally, the heat rising in his chest and creeping up his face. "I'm…not sure that I understand."

Scowling now, Rika glared at the queen.

"Where is this _going,_ mother?" she demanded heatedly, stepping forward in front of her brush knight.

"It's a simple question," Rumiko replied, seating herself. Her expression was as stone. "I am curious in particular as to what he thought of you when the two of you first met."

"I…" Takato shifted. "My queen, it may seem like a simple question to you, but I'm not sure I understand what this has to do with the Crow god, or…"

_"Answer the question!"_

Takato flinched, feeling a _force_ strike him. It was subtle and not in any way physical, but it felt as though Rumiko's words had gained a power of their own. His skin prickled. Magic hung heavy in the air. Rumiko was focusing her power on _him._

So distracted was he, that he didn't notice Yamato circling behind him.

Seiko raised a hand, and at once the air began to calm, her own magic – her voice and will – working in the currents.

"Rumiko, is there something wrong?" she prompted. "I was not led to believe that we would be discussing the knight and his connection with Rika, least of all here."

"It has already been discussed," Rumiko replied tersely. "This knight is a _Dreamer,_ mother, as you know."

_This_ caused Rika's eyes to widen.

_A Dreamer?! Then… No wonder I encountered him the way I did. As a vision… He projected himself. Did he even know about this?_

She turned toward him, and he looked furtively at her with bafflement.

No. Clearly, he didn't know what was going on.

_That he could be such a thing…_ Rika thought, no less in surprise.

"Dreamers are able to work their will upon the world," Rumiko continued. "I have seen the growing… _bond_ between himself and my daughter. If he fancies her…"

_"Hold on!"_ Takato exploded, suddenly becoming angry. "Are you telling me…"

His words were all but drowned by Rika as her anger flared up as well.

" _How dare you?!_ Mother, you _know_ what he's been through! You were there while you healed him! You set up the spell! How…"

Rika suddenly paused in her rage, as did Takato. Ryo and Seiko both found themselves transfixed as well. As they stared at Rumiko, they saw a curl of electricity arch along her body as she spoke in return. Her words seemed to stutter for a moment, and she… _faded_ slightly, and for the briefest of moments appeared as though a cloud of swirling made up her body. When she solidified again, her voice held all the heavy weight of a death sentence.

"General Yamato," she began. "Break the illusion."

Takato had only a minute to spin toward the general in question before the man grabbed hold of him and stabbed a knife between his ribs with a powerful, burning thrust.

**###**

Rika drew along the floor once more, her confidence in her current equipment growing with every stroke. The marker proved to be quite effective for her work. Better in some ways than quill pens and chalk, though her inexperience with the marker showed. Her lettering was thick and clumsy looking, forcing her to draw wider and larger to compensate. Still, she didn't have to be absolutely neat about it, as long as the meaning was legible enough for her to read. The words were merely a tool for her magic and will to be focused through; a means by which the world around her was taught in what ways to change.

Today presented something of a challenge for her. She, like her brush knight and like his fellow Hypnos warrior, Leo, were not too keen on the idea of sitting around doing nothing; waiting for this world's version of Hypnos to locate their Takato and Rika and bring them home.

They all wanted to help, although the how, unfortunately for Leo, fell on her and Takato's shoulders. Takato presently dozed, trying to communicate with the Dragon god while her spell was aimed at locating the world they came from.

She had no idea whether or not this would work, as such a spell had never been made before. Seeking another world?

_Might as well try landing on the red sky traveler,_ she mused, only to pause and consider whether this world had accomplished such a thing already.

_They landed on their moon. Who's to say they hadn't landed on other worlds already? Perhaps they've filled up the night sky by now?_

She brushed such thoughts aside for the time being. She needed to focus on the matter at hand.

From the bed, Takato groaned and shifted, one hand rising to his stomach, a pained expression crossing his face. From across the room, Leo furrowed his brow.

"Does he dream like that often?"

"Not as much as he did when he visited my home," Rika replied, continuing her work.

"And I suppose he has you to thank for that."

A statement. Not a question. Rika's face colored a little as she completed another set of instructions.

"From what I remember of your culture, that's not a question you would ask a woman."

"You sound as though your culture takes a different approach."

Rika smirked a little, her gaze rising to fall on her sleeping knight.

"I would like to take the credit for it, yes," she replied. "I think it's comforting for him, knowing that there's someone who has his back."

Her expression fell a little after a moment.

"However, I feel he still holds some things back. He doesn't like to burden me with anything."

Leo nodded in understanding.

"Yes. He became like that when his powers emerged and found their use in the war with the Reapers. Especially after…" He paused and glanced at Rika. "You're aware of Jeri…?"

"Yes," Rika nodded. "I found out by accident, but I know. It still hurts him."

Leo nodded again, folding his massive arms over his chest. "Scars of the heart do not heal so easily. But he appears to hold a great deal of affection in his heart for you. That suggests a certain degree of progress in his recovery. I thank you for that. He was a good warrior and a good friend."

"He's good at a lot of things," Rika chuckled, blushing lightly again as she remembered their more intimate moments together. However, such things aside, Takato had found a place in her heart. It had taken a while – he had been reluctant to allow himself that spot; a princess and heir to a kingdom, and it looked to him that she was trying to do _everything_ for his benefit…

For someone like Takato, it was rather awkward to be with someone who was so willing to give so much of herself to him, and even more so as she was high born while he was low. Coupled with his trauma, worrying that he was betraying Jeri's memory, it only made things harder, nearly causing him to be more fully withdrawn into himself when she found him again, attempting to drink away his sorrows and failing.

Takato could be so strange when it came to drinking. She had seen him start, then stop, and get silly on just a few swallows. She needn't worry about him drinking her under the table, that much was certain.

"What happened that brought the two of you together?" Leo asked. "Or is that something I'm not supposed to ask the women in your culture?"

Rika's marker traced another symbol.

"Blood and death was our beginning just as it was the ending for his link with his first love," she replied, her expression sobering. "I saved his horse from death, and he saved my kingdom from destruction. I…"

Rika paused suddenly, noticing a crackle of electricity spark along the length of her hand. The marker thudding to the floor, she brought it up and inspected the limb carefully.

"Is something the matter?" Leo asked. Rika frowned.

"Something just happened," she replied, getting to her feet. She didn't feel anything, but there was most certainly a change in her for something like that… _lightning_ to occur so suddenly and unexpectedly. The question was…what?

_I haven't even called on my power yet,_ she thought, turning her hand over to see if there was anything she might have missed. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary though. Her skin remained unblemished.

_What happened just now?_ she asked again, glancing over at Takato to see if there had been any change with him as well. She froze almost immediately upon seeing him, lying in their bed, eyes still closed pale-faced and with a darkening stain of red creeping out from beneath his hand and down his shirt.

**###**

Henry felt as though wool had been stuffed in his head as he forced himself out of his chair and away from his computer to get a drink of water. A part of him wasn't sure what had come over him…why he had gone back to the bedtime story he told for his sister or even why he was writing it out now to begin with. It struck him as wholly unnecessary and a part of him wondered if it was dangerous to do so with a whole world capable of being effected by the words he wrote. It brought a whole world into existence after all. Who knew _what_ could happen if he continued?

_It's got Terriermon to momentai at least,_ Henry smiled dazedly as he approached the sink and took out a glass. Over on the couch, Suzie was watching a movie with her mother, squealing excitedly as the princess and her knight fought the film's villain together.

It was a shame that his new plans for the story didn't include such a thing. It would have been a good ending.

Filling up the glass with water, he took a quick drink and then headed back toward his room.

_I've got work to finish,_ he thought, his mind losing itself once more in the fog of story.


	40. Chapter 40

"This is a real pickle we've got ourselves in," Takato said, poking at the fire. "A village full of angry townspeople behind us; an army of crows to the front and aiming right at it."

"And you don't want to abandon them," Rika said from across from him, munching on a piece of fruit. Takato raised an eyebrow at her.

"You would?"

Rika paused and scowled. "No," she replied before taking another bite. "I'm just commenting on it because I know you wouldn't stop to think about it."

She looked at him as she munched on the fruit. His desire to help people was one of his good traits; one of the things she liked best about him, if only because Takato was, without a doubt, one of the most honest and kindhearted people she ever met. It made him reliable, at least in his desire to help others and be trustworthy with the contents of her heart, even if she didn't open up all that much.

Unfortunately, it was also his weak point, as this trait often drove him to try and become involved in everything; to find a solution to some problem even when he had _no_ idea on how to accomplish that.

_If he even thought about it,_ she thought.

Swallowing, she tossed the remains of her meal, such as it was, into the fire and dusted her hands off before leaning back.

"You wouldn't even stop to think about what kind of plan you would need to make."

"I was thinking about biomerging…" Takato began, only for Rika to scowl at him.

"And if that doesn't work?"

"Um… Why wouldn't it? We're in a digital world and we already saw that our partners can still digivolve."

"Digivolve; not biomerge," Rika pointed out. "Not that it won't take long to figure out if we can or not, but we need a plan." She turned to Renamon. "What're we looking at exactly?"

"The army was composed entirely of the same crows we fought at the village," the vulpine digimon replied. "I don't expect that they'll be very powerful, if that battle was any indication, but those could have been mere scouts. The most we can say with any certainty is that their numbers might prove to be our primary concern, but I would caution against relying on Gallantmon's armor."

She looked at Takato and Guilmon as she said this. "As I recall, a mere 'dragon' was able to penetrate your Chrome Digizoid armor, something that is not normally possible for even a Mega level digimon to do without being equipped with such metal as well."

"She's got a point," Guilmon said, turning to Takato. The Goggle-wearing boy sighed dejectedly.

"And she's always right, like you said," he admitted, causing his three companions to smile – Rika to grin more specifically – at this. "Okay, so a plan is a good idea. What do we do?"

Scooting closer to the boy, still grinning, Rika began to trace an outline of the battle plan as she saw it in her mind based on Renamon's description. They didn't have a great deal of time, but they should have enough to hammer out a rough plan.

_Better than nothing,_ she thought.

"We're going to build this around our Champion and Ultimate forms just in case biomerging doesn't work out," she began. "So, here's what I'm thinking…"

As she continued to explain her plan, she wondered how things were going back home. They were in trouble for certain, but they knew nothing about how things were back in the real world.

_Here's hoping nothing's going crazy,_ she thought.

**###**

Takato was loaded onto the stretcher, a mask being held over his mouth. His face was pale; _deathly_ so and a flicker of electric static curled along his body, causing him to fade in and out. Rika watched him, her expression a mixture of anger and barely hidden fear. Approaching from behind, Leo set a hand upon her shoulder.

"It…can't end like this," she said in a low voice, her words trembling. "Not after everything we've been through…"

"It will be as fate wills it," Leo began, only for the fire-haired girl to jerk away from his touch, violet-eyes blazing defiantly.

"I _won't_ accept that!" she hissed, the orderlies glancing in her direction as they strapped Takato down and hoisted him up. "The fates can all _die_ if they take him from me!"

Leo's azure gaze widened slightly at that as he retracted his hand, only to frown at her, having not expected such ferocity in her voice.

"Careful," he replied. "They may decide to take him from you for such impertinence."

"In which case I will _personally_ hunt them down and write their fate for them," Rika replied, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "I've let others decide things all my life. I swore I wouldn't let it happen anymore."

Before Leo could respond to that, the sound of a low _click_ signaled the approach of the man who led this world's version of Hypnos approached them, his expression unreadable, yet stern.

"Rest assured that we are doing everything we can to assist your companion," Yamaki said, casting a glance over his shoulder at the unconscious boy before returning his attention to the pair. "What were you all doing when this happened? That injury…"

"We did _nothing_ that would have caused such a wound," Rika bristled. "I don't understand how it could have happened. He was just sleeping and then…" She paused, one hand going to the top of her head, and a slight curl of electrical static spread across her body, causing Leo and Yamaki's eyes to widen with alarm.

_"Then…"_ Rika continued, her voice stuttering before returning to normal. She blinked and scowled down at herself. "It's happened again. My mind… Something's not right. I'm remembering something differently."

Yamaki frowned, suspecting what was happening. _An overwrite?_

"Come with me to the lab so we can analyze you. In the meantime, tell me what has changed in your memories. Any piece of information that you can give me _now_ may be important in the future."

**###**

Pain shot through Takato's abdomen like a silver bolt of lightning, and he doubled over in shock. Yamato dug even deeper, twisting the knife as he did so before ripping the blade free, causing blood to spill out in one, thick stream of crimson. His knees buckled and Takato collapsed, clutching at his wound.

A loud roar of _fury_ broke across the throne room, and at once Yamato found himself being thrown back as an invisible, unseen force struck him full force, blood flying from his nose as it shattered under the impact. At once Rika was by Takato's side, her gloved hand pressing against his wound, trying to stem the flow long enough for her magic to stabilize him. Takato was shuddering violently, a sheen of sweat springing up on his rapidly paling face. He was going into shock, and if she didn't heal him quickly…

Suddenly Rika found herself struck by a powerful force and was hurled away from her Brush Knight. Sliding along the floor, she struggled to mount a defense, her lips straining to voice a counter spell…

An invisible wall of force clamped down around her mouth and her staff was torn free from her fingers. That same invisible power bound themselves around her, restricting her movements. Her heart hammering in her chest, she looked around wildly to find her mother, having risen from her seat, her body glowing brightly with a storm of lightning seething around her.

_Mother…!_

"This facade is at an end, my daughter," she said. "I will no longer entertain this boy and his delusions. However useful he has been, he represents a threat to our kingdom and I will _not_ abide by his attempts to supplant our line and come between our alliance with the Millenium Empire."

"Rumiko…" began Seiko, snapping out of her shock at this unexpected behavior. "What…?"

_"Don't!"_ Rumiko's eyes flashed as she turned on her mother. "Don't you _dare_ take his side! He is a _Dreamer!_ He is _far_ too dangerous to be allowed to live!" She changed her gaze toward the fallen knight, glaring venomously at him. "If he fancies my daughter…"

"This is insane!" Ryo broke in, stepping between the queen and Takato. "Rumiko, you've been watching him! He's _on our side!_ You can't do this!"

"Out of my way, prince," Rumiko growled, the storm increasing in intensity around her body, causing lightning to spark along the floor, snaking out toward Takato's fallen body. Rika's eyes widened with horror at the approach of electric death and she angrily screamed against the gag on her mouth, a violet hue emerging from her body, straining her power against that of her mother's. Pain lanced through her skull as she fought, and for the first time she realized just how much her mother held back against her in all the training and sparring that they did. Rumiko was _strong!_

"My queen," Ryo began carefully. "You are endangering the alliance as you are _now."_ He saw her stiffen at that, and he pressed on. "Whether you like it or not; whatever his reasons are for aiding us, this Hypnos Knight is needed if we are to survive. The Crow's eye is on us and he won't just turn away because we kill an enemy of his! Gods damn it, _think!_ How does slaying Takato help us?!"

Seiko glided by her daughter at a hurried speed, and Rumiko started toward her, seeing that she was moving toward Takato, whose eyes had now slid shut.

"Don't you…" she began, but all at once, as Seiko knelt down beside the knight and laid a hand down on his forehead, the room darkened suddenly and a heavy atmosphere beat upon the air. Ryo felt a sudden flash of fear as the room shook with the tremor of a distant thunderclap, though no noise preceded it. Rumiko's eyes widened and she staggered backward, looking as though a weight bore down upon her shoulders, striving to force her to the floor. She managed to keep her footing, but it was clear to Ryo that the effort just from doing so had shaken her. Sweat stood out prominently on her face and she gasped harshly, her muscles trembling as the quaking of the room passed.

"Mother…" she panted, the atmosphere lifting.

"I have never seen a spell such as the one that has been laid upon you," Seiko replied to her daughter, a soft blue aura appearing around her and flowing into Takato's body. The knight shuddered, but color began to return to his face. With a glance at Rika, the princess gasped suddenly, her bonds broken. Gaining her feet, Rika rushed over to Takato, violet winking around her body as she added her magic to her grandmother's.

"S-Spell…?" Rumiko shook her head. "What…are you talking about?"

"Something happened to you just now," Ryo explained. "Before you gave the order to knife Takato."

"It took hold of you and quite suddenly," Seiko explained, getting to her feet so that her daughter could take over the care of her brush knight. Knuckling her back, she groaned a little and turned toward the queen. "I have never seen such a thing before. It was as though a god reached out and took possession of your soul. That is said to be impossible. Curses and some degree of influence can be made upon one's fate and mind, but not to the degree it just now did."

She narrowed her eyes at Rumiko. "Whatever it is, it's _still_ working within you."

Rumiko took a deep breath to steady herself and then glared angrily at her mother.

"He's taken you as well," she said in a dark voice. "I don't believe it. _You_ of all people…"

Seiko sighed and shook her head, gathering her power. Sensing this, Rumiko retreated a step and attempted to rally, only for her to jerk, eyes rolling up into her head before collapsing to the floor. Rika watched all this with eyes wide, in awe at the ease her grandmother had just dispatched the queen of the realm.

"Grandma…" she whispered, suddenly feeling like a frightened child, and she found herself tightening her grip around her knight. She had never seen her grandmother exercise the totality of her power before, and to see just how much greater in strength she was in comparison to her mother…

Yet, as the older woman turned, a tired look on her face, Rika felt her fear drain away. This was her grandmother; not a demon from out of the old stories from the ruins of the far west.

Within her grasp, she felt Takato stir and she looked down, relief flooding her face as his eyes fluttered open.

"Rika…?" he whispered in a hoarse breath. "Why are you…? Did I make you upset about something?"

"Kami…" Impulsively, she leaned down and brushed her lips against his face, causing the knight to blush in surprise before resting their foreheads together. She no longer cared who saw them or what they thought. Her knight was safe for the time being.

"Stupid Brush Knight…"

Making his way over to the pair, Ryo knelt down, clasping a hand on Takato's shoulder.

"How's the stomach?"

"My stomach…?" Takato began questioningly only for his red eyes to widen as the shock of memory came to him. "Gods! I…!"

The knight was abruptly cut off as he sat up, accidently bumping his head against Rika's, causing them both to cry out, startled. Rika shot her knight a sharp glare and Takato blanched under her gaze.

"S-Sorry," he said, his fingers brushing against her cheek. "I didn't mean…"

"You got stabbed," she said, taking hold of his hand and pressing it against her face. "I'll consider it extenuating circumstances. But how _are_ you doing?"

"Um…" Looking down at his gut required considerable amount of courage it seemed. He found a dark red stain surrounding a jagged hole in his shirt around where his ribs were located, but beneath it and the dry, crusty blood beneath lay pink, scarred flesh. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well…I look like I'm fine," he announced finally. His stomach made a loud, rumbling noise and he winced, feeling a new, but less alarming pain tighten up his abdomen.

"I used considerable amounts of energy to heal the injury," Seiko explained, approaching her daughter and running a hand along the woman's face, trying to see how she could untangle the knot of whatever spell lay upon her soul. "You're going to be quite hungry, so I suggest that you get yourself fixed up. I will see to the queen and the general."

"Grandmother…" began Rika, only for Seiko to turn a sad look toward her.

"I will assume my daughter's duties for the duration that this spell lasts. Gods… To think this could happen…"

With a heavy sigh, she shook her head.

"Go. We'll all need our strength for what is to come."

Pressing his lips together, Ryo slung one of Takato's arms over his shoulder and hoisted him to his feet.

"Come on, big guy. The queen ordered us to eat, so let's get to the feasting halls. Getting stabbed is hungry work after all."

"This is _no_ laughing matter!" Rika snapped, taking hold of Takato by the waist in spite of his protests that he could walk without aid, but neither prince or the princess were having any of it. As they passed through the main entrance, the fire-haired princess cast one final look over her shoulder at her family, her eyes softening.

**###**

Henry paused, his fingers hovering on the keyboard as he looked over what he had written.

"Henry?" came the voice of Terriermon from behind him. He sounded distant; almost asleep even though he remained awake and as annoying as ever. "What's wrong? You stopped."

The half-Chinese Tamer ran a hand over his mouth, scowling.

"What's wrong is that things didn't go the way they should have," he replied, his voice also distant sounding. "Takato was supposed to die in this scene, and Rika…"

He shook his head. "Something's wrong. It should have ended there. It should have…"

His finger hovered over the backspace button, and he felt something… Two forces clashing within him. One was a seething anger, raging at how the story progressed while the other…

_It's been written,_ spoke a voice from somewhere deep inside him. _It cannot be undone._

_Who said that?_

That voice had not been his. It certainly didn't sound like him, and yet it had a powerful force of presence that caused his finger to retract into his palm. Pressing his hands into tight fists, he bit his lower lip before setting them back against the keyboard.

"Well… Maybe it's for the best. Rinchei said tension is a good thing. Maybe… Maybe this will contribute to the Crow god killing Takato…"

Terriermon giggled, but it sounded odd; forced, like he didn't believe in it and was just going through the motions.

"You're so evil, Henry."

"I learn from the worst," the boy said sarcastically, beginning to type again.

_Now, let's see… How can I best drive up the tension so I can kill Takato in this story…?_

He barked a laugh at the notion of doing harm to his friend, but somewhere, deep inside, he screamed.


	41. Chapter 41

_How can I go about killing Takato?_ the thought hammered in Henry's mind as he furiously typed, backtracked, deleted, and rewrote again. Try and try as he might, nothing that he thought of helped put the story together in the way that he wanted. He could feel the frustration growing inside him. He sighed and pushed away from the keyboard.

_I'm just not cut out for this sort of thing. I'm more technical than literary._

"Henry?" came Terriermon's monotone voice behind him. "You're still having trouble? I…" The long-eared Rookie paused, as if struggling to think and then shook his head. "I want…to hear what you're planning to do."

"I'm just…thinking," Henry replied, closing his eyes. "Give me a second. I…"

_Oh._

A small, if flat smile drew across his face just then. Yes. He knew _just_ what to do now.

Setting his hands to the keyboard, he began to type once more.

**###**

Robert McCoy made his way through the halls of the castle, his eyes cast in a grimace, contemplating something distasteful.

_I don't want to do this,_ he thought, one hand feeling the small pouch he had tied to his waist…and the small red orb that lay within. _But…to see my granddaughter alive and well again…I_ must _do this. No matter what it takes._

He thought about his conversation through the orb, with the dark presence that lay on the other side of its sending magic. He still had seeds to plant so as to tilt the odds in the Crow's favor.

_Oh gods… I pray that you will forgive me for what I am about to do… What I_ must _do…_

Coming to a halt in front of the infirmary, he took a deep breath, and then opened the door and stepped inside.

The room was quiet, save for the noises of whispered kindness and the hushed steps of healers as they made their way amongst the injured. This was where those too badly hurt for healing magic to quickly recover, or for whom the healing had used up significant amounts of resources were brought for care, and there were some – particularly _one_ – that he desired to locate.

Robert McCoy found Davis Motomiya within short order. Approaching him, he glanced around to make sure no one was looking and then, quietly, undid his pouch and produced the red orb. Taking the glass of water that lay next to Davis' side, he plopped the orb into it and then reached over and lifted Davis' head up. The man groaned softly, his rest disturbed.

"Can I help you with something, McCoy?" came the voice of a healer, and McCoy turned to find her standing at the foot of the bed, eyeing him questioningly.

"I'm only seeing to our stalwart guard," he replied, tilting Davis' head back and setting the glass to his lips. "I heard that he had been savaged by rodents in the field."

"Ah, yes, the healer replied as Robert began to pour the water down the resting guard's throat. "The princess brought him in and…"

She was suddenly interrupted as Davis gagged suddenly and began choking. She rushed toward him in alarm, his eyes fluttering open.

"Are you all right?" she asked, to which the guard coughed and massaged his throat.

"Thought I choked on something," he whispered. "But I'm okay now. I… M-McCoy?"

Davis' eyes turned up toward the red-haired man, who simply nodded.

"Just thought I'd check in on you. The princess was very worried about you. Get some rest."

Davis nodded and closed his eyes. With that, Robert McCoy bid the healer goodbye and to keep him apprised of Davis' condition.

_It's all for you, Alice,_ he thought. _This is all for you…_

**###**

Takato took a deep breath as Renamon led them through the forest and to the edge of the trees, not far from the location where she had spotted the flying army. Crouching down, so as to stay hidden from prying eyes, the goggle-wearing boy frowned, spying a long, dark patch stretching across the landscape in the distance, covering three hills.

"It's like an army of ants from out here," he said in awe, to which Rika nodded.

"We can take them as long as we stick to the plan," she said.

Adjusting her grip on her digivice, she lifted it.

"Ready?" she asked. Takato nodded, pulling out his own digivice.

"More than ready."

"Then let's do it."

Raising their digices, they pronounced the words that invoked their transformation.

_"Biomerge activate!"_

A shell of orange and blue light exploded from the two teens, enveloping them and their digimon partners, merging them together until they glowed like miniature stars. In the distance, crows cawed, stirring at the sudden, blinding sight in the woods, and many were already taking flight to investigate and, potentially, confront the burning light. The shells of data shattered, and two figures rose from their center. One was a tall, figure with shining armor of white and red, with a lance on one hand and a massive shield in the other. The other was a powerful, yet lithe woman with armor of bronze over a black suit of leather, with violet gloves that stretched to her elbows and a fox-shaped mask covering her face. Her hair, long and silver, draped down her back and was tied off like two fox tails. As she hefted a bronze, Vajra staff in one hand, they pronounced the words that would complete their transformation.

_"Guilmon! Biomerge tooo…Gallantmon!"_

_"Renamon! Biomerge tooo…Sakuyamon!"_

As the light crackled and died down, the Royal Knight stepped forward, electricity sparkling along the length of his lance.

_"Okay,"_ Takato said from within his orange data-sphere. _"Let's stick with the plan and see what happens."_

The plan, at its most basic, was simple, but took advantage of their particular abilities. Gallantmon, being the most heavily armored, would take the front while Sakuyamon, having the most versatility, would function in the support role, using spells to hit whatever Gallantmon's greater destructive power couldn't handle or otherwise missed entirely. A standard knight and wizard setup, only they were going to keep their distance and _not_ lose themselves in mingling in the crowd as they did during the Parasimon incident.

_"This time, there's no getting surrounded,"_ Takato remembered Rika saying. _"We fight smart or we don't fight at all. We may be Megas, but we can still be brought down if there's enough enemies."_

The crows drew closer, and from this distance, with his digimon-enhanced eyes, Gallantmon could see a number of them bearing crossbows, armed and ready, and others who appeared to be sorcerers of some sort, magic sparking at the tips of their claws.

_"Seems like Rika was right after all,"_ Takato heard Guilmon say from the darkness surrounding his data sphere. The boy nodded and chuckled.

_"Well, like Renamon she's always right. You don't get to be called the Digimon Queen by being a Gogglehead."_

_"Would you two get your head in the game?"_ came Rika's voice from Sakuyamon, spinning her staff around her, casting a luminous glow of pink light around them. _"It looks like they're getting ready to attack!"_

_"Right!"_ Takato nodded, and shifting his arm, he raised Gallantmon's lance. Lightning crackled around the tip and he took aim at the mass of crows. Seeing the gesture and taking it for what it was, they fired.

Gallantmon and Sakuyamon both returned in kind.

First came the lightning, and it smashed into the front ranks of the archers and the mages – the latter of whom raised some kind of _spell-wall_ to ward off the attack. Unfortunately for them, it did little to protect their more fragile bodies, and the lightning exploded with tremendous force, sending shards of sparkling data into the air. Fox fire and a rain of sakura followed, sweeping across the army like a wave, slicing, coiling, crushing and burning. Gallantmon raised his shield against the remaining volley of arrows and cast spells from the frontlines, and felt them clatter and smash uselessly against his chrome digizoid shield. Lowering it, he fired another blast of lightning from his lance, and Sakuyamon followed suit, their attacks moving as relentlessly as a tsunami.

The pair advanced, slowly, pressing their attacks. More explosions, and with it more crows died. The army was _melting_ against the two Megas, as already a full _third_ of their total force had been annihilated. They were in complete disarray now and were rapidly falling back.

_"We're winning!"_ Guilmon crowed. _"They're running! Let's go after them!"_

_"Hang on,"_ Rika interceded before the knight could do anything. _"Remember what I said earlier? They might be pretending to retreat to draw us out into a trap. We have the range. Just keep hammering them."_

Takato nodded, taking aim again before unleashing another surge of electricity into their opponents, continuing to thin out their numbers.

Another _Amethyst Wind_ from Sakuyamon followed up Gallantmon's attack, and that did it. The Crow army broke completely, fleeing in all directions, wherever they could go that took them as far away from the two Megas and their power as possible.

_"Well…_ That _had to be the easiest win we ever had,"_ Takato said as they watched the shattered remains of the Crow army fly like a black cloud swept apart by a great wind. Coming abreast to him, Sakuyamon pressed her lips together into one thin line.

_"Don't think this is how it will always be,"_ Renamon said from the shaman's lips. _"They are not used to dealing with digimon. If Rika's double is any indication, this could only be a setback, and one that they will learn from. We cannot expect future battles to go this way should we encounter them."_

Gallantmon nodded his head, and Guilmon spoke from the Mega.

_"You've always been right before. I don't think you're going to be wrong this time either."_

**###**

The princess lay on the table, feeling more than a little annoyed as Hypnos again 'analyzed' her, just as they did before. She hated it. All the poking and prodding; having things stuck to her or being sent through a tube… Such wonders were certainly incredible feats given how strange and powerful they were, but they lost their charm a long time ago.

She hated feeling as though she weren't involved in solving the current situation. It seemed as though every time she began to try, something would interrupt her. Yet she understood that this world's version of Hypnos knew a great deal about what they were doing; far more about the situation regarding her world than she did.

Didn't they?

Doubts ran through her, driven by her natural suspicion toward the world and by her own concern for her Brush Knight, who appeared to be dying from some spell that even appeared to be attacking her very _memories!_

_Mother never attacked him in the throne room,_ she thought, grating her teeth together. _She told us of Ryo's plan to have us all confront the Crow god for when he arrived. She never liked him, but…she was at least_ thankful _that he helped save the kingdom._

At least, that was what her heart told her. The memory – the _true_ memory – felt so dim, and danced just beyond her reach now, replaced by the stronger image of her knight being stabbed by her mother's general, and the battle between the three Hatas.

"Look at that," said Daisy, typing away on her computer. Behind her, Shibumi strode up, running a hand through his beard.

"Definitely looks like there's a program inside her," he said. "Is it…?"

"Overwriting what looks like her memory algorithms?" Daisy finished. "Looks like it. Nasty little thing. Good thing we caught it though. I think we can come up with a counter program real easy. The real question though is how we're going to help her prince charming…"

_"Knight,"_ Rika corrected irritably. Once upon a time, she would have chuckled at the idea of her Brush Knight being some kind of prince, but she was far too annoyed and frustrated to do so at the moment.

"Your knight in shining armor," Daisy corrected herself in a tone that only caused the princess to frown. What was so amusing about shining armor? And besides that, Takato wasn't even _wearing_ armor, and most certainly hadn't been when they first met.

Shibumi leaned forward, his eyes scanning the code in front of them. "This looks a little bit familiar," he said, pointing at the screen. "Here… And here. Do you see it?"

Squinting her eyes, Daisy nodded. "Yeah… Yeah it does. One second, I think I…" A number of clicks and typing later, she gave a nod. "Yeah. This is the same code as the strange sphere that Tao's daughter brought back from this world. I wonder…" He glanced over at Rika, who was now impatiently drumming a finger on the table. "Yamaki is sure that the thing is a trap of some kind from the Crow god or whatever it is from that other digital world."

"Janyu's looking in on the orb now, seeing how it can be used to reverse what happened to his daughter," Shibumi nodded. "Although…if it _were_ a trap, wouldn't this be the time to set it off? It's been in our world long enough for _something_ to happen."

Daisy leaned back in her seat and looked at Shibumi questioningly.

"I thought that something did happen already."

"Well, yes," Shibumi laughed, rubbing the back of his head for a moment before becoming serious again. "But…it's been a little _too_ quiet if you ask me."

**###**

Yamaki's lighter for a wonder remained silent as he held it in his hand, listening to Janyu's report, his gaze on the orb that Suzie had brought home with her. It sat there, silent and gleaming, but seemingly inactive. Yamaki tightened his grip on his lighter, almost wishing that whatever purpose it had for being here that it would hurry up and do it. He hated _waiting_ for things to happen when he knew they were coming.

And he felt that it would within his bones.

_I've been in this business for too long to_ not _believe that there's something about to happen._

His brow furrowed, considering that thought for a moment…that _feeling._ The digital world was fraught with danger and every day he was having a harder and harder time justifying to his superiors that the digital world wasn't always dangerous to humanity.

"There _are_ signs of recent activity," Janyu continued, reading off his printout, "which may be correlated with the situation with Takato and Rika's doubles. Whatever this thing is, it's sending and receiving digital transmissions and it's doing so wirelessly."

"Are you saying that it can connect to the Internet?" Yamaki asked, his brow furrowing even further.

"Difficult to say at this point," Janyu said, turning toward the orb. "It's fairly primitive compared to our current equipment, but the signals are similar enough. It would have to be, considering its source which is, well… _us."_

He looked at Yamaki with a concerned expression. "There…may be a chance however that this program can evolve in a similar fashion to digimon. Henry's digivice is the genesis of this program after all, and it utilizes Shibumi's code to teach data how to behave and grow."

"And the Crow god just _gave_ this to us…" Yamaki said quietly, and now he flicked his lighter open. "Can you destroy it?"

"I'm…not entirely sure," Janyu said hesitantly. "I could come up with a program, but…" He looked at the orb and then back at Yamaki, his expression becoming hard. Yamaki didn't need him to finish to know what was on his mind.

"Your daughter."

"Yes," Janyu replied, his shoulders sagging a little. "I'm sorry, Yamaki. I just… I don't think I can risk destroying this until I know what it did to her."

Yamaki took a deep, steady breath, for once not happy with the situations his job forced himself into.

"I won't order you to destroy it," he said, and for an instant he felt a great swell of pity as Janyu began to relax, knowing he would end up ruining it. "I will do it myself, but _only_ when the situation destabilizes."

"Y-Yamaki…"

"Continue gathering as much information as you can about this program," he continued. "I expect regular updates and all the data that you have on it." He glanced at Janyu and his pained expression before continuing. "We may be able to find a way to return your daughter to normal without this program. Hypnos' facilities will be at your disposal to help her in either situation."

At this, Janyu relaxed a little, though he still looked unhappy with the decision.

_I can't fault him though,_ Janyu thought. _He has the safety of the world to think of. What's one person…even a child…against the entire planet? We made that decision as well…back when we sent the digimon back to the digital world. This is no different._

Karma, it seemed, had an interesting, if painful, sense of humor.

"Thank you, Yamaki," Janyu replied, after a long, heavy moment.

_I just pray that I have enough time to discover how to help Suzie…_

**###**

The Crow god peered into his orb, watching as Takato and Rika – the two from the _other_ world that had just obliterated his army – parted from their digimon partners, returning to their mortal forms.

_Their power is…considerably greater than I thought they would be,_ he thought, his claws clicking on the arm of his throne in agitation. _Still. They are not their counterparts. They do not have the key to defeating me._

He chuckled, focusing on the pair, eyes narrowing.

_Besides…separated…they are vulnerable. Easy targets to destroy._

Raising a claw over the orb, a dark cloud swam across its surface, dousing its light as he began to work his magic.

_If they cannot be beaten through normal means…they will destroy themselves from within… Their_ fears.


	42. Chapter 42

Suzie hummed to herself as she kicked her feet on the floor. It felt odd doing so, as before her shorter legs from just this morning would have drummed against the cushion, far too small to touch the floor. Not the case now and she felt a touch of sadness at this, but _only_ a touch.

_I'm a big girl now,_ she thought, playing with Lopmon's ears, holding them far apart. _Big girls grow big just like Mommy and Jaarin!_

Jaarin… She wondered when she was going to come home. She was staying out later and later nowadays, as a 16-year-old was wont to do, just as their now 18-year-old brother, Rinchei did, preferring the company of friends as opposed to the company of family.

Her feet ceased in their drumming, a thought occurring to her.

_I'm too old and big to be with my friends from school… They can't hang out with me like I can now… They can't go to all the places I can now. They all have early bed times._

Although not precisely true, Suzie knew that the world that belonged to her brother and the other Tamers – the world kids their age inhabited – was vastly different from her own. To what degree, she wasn't sure, but she knew that it looked quite desirable. The ability to stay out late and being trusted to go where one will… How she _longed_ for such an ability!

Now she was the right age for it, but still she couldn't just leave whenever she wanted to. Her mother made sure of that as she worked in the kitchen of their apartment, watching her daughter like a hawk.

"Boring…" she murmured, leaning her head atop Lopmon, taking care to avoid the rabbit-digimon's horns.

"What's that, Suzie?" the chocolate-furred Rookie asked, looking up.

"I'm bored. I'm tired of watching movies, and I've played with all my toys." She glanced down at the army of stuffed animals and coloring books that lay scattered between herself and the television. "There's nothing to do. I want to go outside."

"But it's getting dark out now," Lopmon pointed out, indicating the golden light of the setting sun outside.

"But I'm a _big_ girl now!" Suzie insisted irritably, kicking the floor with her feet. "Can't I go like Henry and the others and come back when it's dinner time?"

"Dinner's almost ready, Suzie," came Mayumi's reply from the kitchen, shooting her daughter a look to remind her that her _big girl_ status had little to do with her actual age. Sighing heavily, Suzie's shoulders sank, crushed.

"Oookaaay…" she moaned. Mayumi's expression softened at her tone, understanding to some degree the girl's frustration. Being aged up by some digital world magic notwithstanding, she knew quite well the desire to go out and explore the world, breaking free from the chains imposed on her by her inexperience, youth and the wariness of adults about the world's dangers. She felt it often enough when she had been that young after all.

_One day you'll understand, Suzie,_ she thought, checking on the food in the oven before stirring the noodles as they boiled in the pot.

_Almost done…_

"Suzie, could you go get Henry and have him wash up? I'll need you both to help set the table."

"Okay," Suzie mumbled, sliding herself off the couch and heading over to her brother's room, her socked feet dragging on the floor every step of the way to show her displeasure at remaining stuck in the house. So far, the Crow God's 'gift' of wishes hadn't helped her all that much.

Finally arriving at Henry's door, she let herself in, finding her brother sitting at his desk, typing away while Terriermon sat on the bed, a listless expression on his face. Neither of them acknowledged her or Lopmon's presence. It bothered her a little, but she shrugged it off as Henry being Henry.

_He always gets sucked into those stupid computers of his,_ she thought. Still, feeling a bit curious about what held his attention this time, she wandered over behind him while Lopmon, frowning at Terriermon's lack of response to their being in the room, climbed out of her partner's arms and onto the top of her head

"Terriermon?" she prompted. "Are you all right? You look tired."

Her long-eared, cream-colored twin blinked and, slowly, as though her voice had penetrated through a fog, turned his dazed gaze up toward her.

"Huh? Oh… I guess I am. Henry's working on Suzie's story. It's pretty good at…" He yawned suddenly. "…putting people to sleep. Momentai…"

Suzie's eyebrows rose at this and she peeked over Henry's shoulder. He was in a writing program.

"You're _working_ on my bedtime story?" she asked, finding this news to be most peculiar and quite unlike Henry. "But…why?"

"I've got to finish it," Henry replied simply, not looking up as his fingers busily typed away.

"Is that a good idea?" Lopmon asked, an alarm starting to ring in her head. "You brought the story to life the last time you worked on it."

"That's why he wants to work on it," Terriermon said dully. "Henry figures if he ends it, then maybe it'll end this mess we're in."

"I've got to finish it," Henry chimed in, his fingers increasing their pace. "I've _got_ to! If I can _finish_ Takato and end his tale…then he won't ever have come here in the first place, and if _he_ isn't here, then neither should Rika…"

_That_ set off an alarm in Suzie's head now.

"Finish…Takato?" she asked. "What… What do you mean?"

Henry paused in his typing and rubbed his chin, his brow furrowed in deep thought. "Let's see… The queen's general didn't kill him, but the guard, Davis might be able to…"

Suzie and Lopmon's eyes widened in horror as the puzzle pieces all slid into place.

"W-What…?! _Kill_ him?! You're trying to _kill_ Takato the knight?"

"It has to be done," Henry nodded, setting his hands to the keyboard again. A sudden flash of fear took hold of Suzie just then and with a new surge of strength, she grabbed hold of the keyboard and ripped it free from her brother, almost yanking the computer off his desk and into his lap along with it.

_"Suzie!"_ Henry exclaimed, life returning to his voice a little as he shot out of his chair, training his furious grey eyes on her. "Give that back!"

_"No!"_ she yelled, tugging on the keyboard some more, causing the computer to inch closer to the edge of the desk. "I won't let you kill him! They're living people! What's _wrong with you?!"_

Henry's hand fumbled and drew out his digivice. At the sight, Terriermon rose to his feet, his ears tensing up. Lopmon drew back and hopped down to the floor in front of her partner, not liking where she sensed this was going.

"Suzie…" Henry began in a warning tone. "Give that back."

Suzie held the keyboard close to her chest protectively. "No… No, I won't let you do this! Not until you tell me what's going on! You know you can hurt them! You're _trying_ to hurt Takato!"

"It _has_ to be done, Suzie," Henry reiterated. "Now come _on!_ Give it back!"

The girl licked her lips. Something was seriously, _seriously_ wrong with her brother. There was a look in his eyes that she didn't like. It _looked_ like Henry, but not the Henry she knew.

_He'd never do something as crazy as this. Not without knowing everything first…_

Her thoughts were racing. They felt _different_ from before, but she didn't pay it any mind at the moment. Instead she backed up a little bit, stopping only when the keyboard stretched to its limits.

Henry _pounced._

Lunging, Henry grabbed Suzie's arm and began to pry it away from his keyboard, digging his fingers into the girl's wrist and causing her to cry out.

"Ow! Henry! You're hurting me!"

"Henry!" Lopmon exclaimed. "This is _not_ how you treat your fam…"

Lopmon's vision blacked out suddenly as pain exploded across her body, courtesy of Terriermon as he slammed into her, knocking her into the wall.

_"Lopmon!"_ Suzie shouted, giving another yank in an effort to break free from her brother's grasp.

It was then that his computer went the remainder of the distance and toppled off his desk, slamming on both floor and Henry's toe, causing stars to burst across his vision and for his grip on Suzie's arm to loosen.

She took advantage of it.

Breaking free, she snatched up Lopmon and darted for the door, just in time for Mayumi to swing it open, wondering just what all the commotion was. Suzie didn't offer their mother any explanation. Instead, ducking under the woman's arm, she raced out of the room and toward the door, keyboard in hand and then, not even bothering to slip on her shoes, she fled out of the apartment and into the night.

_"Suzie!"_ Mayumi cried out, trying to chase her down as Henry hobbled after her, clutching at his foot the whole way. "Henry! What was _that_ all about?"

"I have no idea," Henry replied, his dull voice returning as he massaged his foot with a heavy grimace. "She just…attacked us for no reason."

"We've got to get her!" Mayumi said, grabbing her shoes and snatching up her coat. "Hurry Henry, before we lose her!"

Henry hesitated. The story though… He had to finish it. The keyboard was nothing. He could replace that easily, but the computer… He wasn't sure if that still worked. It took a pretty hard fall and…

_"Now,_ Henry!"

"Right… Right…" Henry nodded with a heavy mental sigh, limping on over to grab his shoes. Terriermon trailed after him and climbed up onto his partner's shoulder.

"I can find her," he said to Mayumi. "Don't worry. We'll bring her home."

**###**

Suzie, with Lopmon bouncing behind her, raced down the hall and shot to the elevator at a rapid pace, slamming a hand on the call button as she skidded to a halt. Running in place as she anxiously waited for it to come, she glanced down the hallway for any sign of pursuit. There was none to be had… _yet,_ but it wouldn't last long.

"Come on… Come on…" she muttered before hitting the call button _again._ "Come on!"

"It's not going to come any faster, Suzie," Lopmon said. "What…are we doing?"

"We need to get to Hypnos!" she replied, looking around before an idea came to her. She had _big girl_ legs now. Deciding to put them to good use, she dashed down the hall. "Come on! The stairs!"

"Wha…? Suzie, we're too high up for that!"

"Don't worry about it!" she called back as she slammed open the door to the stairwell, holding it just long enough for Lopmon to follow after her. Her longer legs gulped down huge distances of stairs, jumping them in groups, taking little heed for what might happen if she slipped or missed a step. Up above, she heard the door slam open and the sound of pounding feet.

_"Suzie!"_ Henry shouted. _"Get back here! You're making Mom worry!"_

Swallowing hard, Suzie ignored her brother and pressed her pace even harder, wanting to keep whatever distance advantage she had while she could. She found quickly, however, that she was rapidly tiring. She wasn't used to all the running around that Henry did, nor did she engage in all of the exercises he did for his martial arts. Her family hadn't thought much about having Chou Sensei teach her anything about fighting, and she herself hadn't thought much about doing such things either. Her feet always hurt whenever she went for long walks after all…

_We really_ are _too high up for this…_

"Suzie!" Lopmon said, dropping down in front of her by the door to the next floor. Taking the hint, Suzie ran toward it and flung it open.

"What are we doing?" she gasped as they raced out into the hallway. They couldn't get away from her brother this way.

"Suzie, we can't escape your brother. I don't know what's going on with him, but…maybe we should try talking to him."

"He's trying to kill Takato in the story! You heard him! We can't just talk-!"

The door behind her burst open and Suzie spun around to find Henry and Terriermon standing in the entrance, their breathing quick and ragged. Henry's grey eyes locked with Suzie's and he started toward her, his expression hard.

"Suzie… Let's go home," he said sternly.

"You freaked out your mom," Terriermon chimed in, and at once Suzie felt a chill run down her spine. The way they were both speaking, it was as if they were robots speaking with one mind; one voice.

"N-No," she replied, her voice determined as she clutched hold of the keyboard. "I'm going to go to Hypnos. There's something wrong with you."

"It's late and you shouldn't be disturbing Dad while he works," Henry said, still approaching her, and Suzie took a step back.

"Dinner's almost ready too," Terriermon added, and as they drew near, Suzie saw a red and grey aura rising from their bodies, taking on the appearance of feathered wings spreading outward, stretching from wall to wall. Above them, rose a beaked face that she recognized…

The Crow God.

_He's done something to my brother…_ she thought with quiet realization.

"Get out of my brother, Mr. Crow!" she growled, stomping her foot on the floor. "I see you in him! Get out of him _now!"_

Drawing to a halt, Henry frowned, looking confused. The light surrounding him flared and then his expression fell flat again. Reaching behind him, he took out his digivice.

"Come back home, Suzie," he said, and she saw his hand shaking, as if struggling against himself. "This is your _last_ warning."

_He won't do it…_ she thought, but she felt her heart plummet into her stomach at the sight of Henry's digivice in one hand while the other drew out a card, preparing to fight.

"Suzie…" Lopmon warned, blanching at the scene. She would stand and fight if she had to, but there was no way that this would go over well.

Shaking now, Suzie looked into Henry's possessed eyes and then, breaking down with a cry, she let the keyboard clatter to the floor.

Seeing this, Henry made his way over to his sister and lifted the keyboard off the floor before draping an arm around her, leading her to the elevator.

"Come on," he said, his voice still flat and empty. "You've made Mom _really_ worried…"

At that, Suzie smacked her head into her brother's forehead, causing him to stagger backward with a cry of surprise. Rushing him, Suzie grabbed hold of him by the shirt…and then Henry's martial arts training kicked in. In one fluid motion, before either of them could think, Suzie found herself slamming down to the floor with a heavy crash, the breath rushing out of her lungs in one mad rush. Black spots darkened her vision and she heard Lopmon cry out as she saw Terriermon launch himself over her, and there followed a loud, heavy _crack_ upon the air and then all was darkness.

**###**

"I should leave this place," Takato said as Rika and Ryo dragged him into the feasting hall. "I mean it. All I've been doing is causing trouble ever since I got here…"

"You're _not_ going anywhere, _Brush Knight,"_ Rika snapped. "Now stop saying ridiculous things like that. My mother is just under some spell from the Crow God. Were she in command of herself, she wouldn't have ordered your death just now."

"But…Rika…" Takato protested, only to blanch as she gave him a withering glare.

"Don't you _but_ me, Brush Knight! You swore to me and I mean to hold you _to_ that oath! How many times do I have to make that clear to you before I have to _tie_ you to me to make it stick?"

"Better listen to her, _Brush Knight,"_ Ryo chuckled as they set him down in a chair. "She's the princess after all." Turning, he winked at them both. "And she's not going to take 'no' for an answer."

Rika gave the prince a flat stare before her hand fell upon Takato's shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze.

"Food first before we decide anything else," she ordered. "Ryo? Make yourself useful and bring us a plate."

Bowing with a flourish, Ryo headed to the kitchen, grinning at the two. Alone at last, Rika sat herself down across from the knight and covered his hand with hers.

"Brush Knight…" she began in a soft tone. "Takato…"

The knight's face blemished with crimson at her touch and he stiffened beneath it.

"Rika… I…"

"Just…let me finish, please," the princess interrupted, closing her violet eyes. Taking a moment to settle herself, she mouthed a quick spell to make sure that their conversation was for their ears only and no one else's before speaking again in a softer voice.

"Takato… I'm…not using your oath to make you stay just because of what happened between us." Her violet eyes met his, searching them as her lips pressed against each other tightly. "We need you, and the Crow god knows that. That's why he attacked you using my mother. More importantly, you need _us._ You came close to dying today, but you didn't, because we were there for you. If you leave now, you'll be dead. You'll have nothing to shield you except for your power, and you _barely_ know how to use that."

She squeezed his hand almost urgently, her heart fluttering in her chest as her gaze bore into his, hoping against hope that he would understand what she was trying to get through to him.

"You're a sensitive soul, Brush Knight. That much is plainly obvious now, but you can't let the Crow god use that against you. You're a knight. Think smart first. His influence was here long before I found you. It won't be going away just because you leave."

Takato looked at Rika for one long moment before closing his eyes and taking a shuddering breath. Turning his hand over so that their palms kissed, he nodded.

"You're right," he said finally, although a note of reluctance was in his voice. He hated this. Hated that his presence had upset so many things. But he had to admit that Rika was right. Simply leaving by itself solved nothing except to possibly kill everyone in the land.

_Thousands of people… All of them becoming like Jeri… All because of me. But…what can I do?_

"I wish that I didn't unsettle so many people, but…what's done is done. We just have to deal with it."

Opening his eyes, his gaze met Rika's once again, and his hand unknowingly tightened around Rika's. He gave the princess a strained smile.

"When you're right, you're right," he continued. "Thanks for helping me put things in perspective. But…if you talk about how I… _we…_ need to think smart, it might be a good idea to consider my leaving and how to use that against the Crow god."

Rika nodded, her hand tightening around his once again, her heart not liking the idea of him leaving. Was it because of the feedback from her mother's spell? Or something more?

_Have I become_ that _attached to him in such a short amount of time?_ she wondered, her thumb tracing a path along his hand. _Gods, I wish things weren't so complicated…_

They sat like that a moment longer, lost in their gaze and in each other's thoughts. They barely noticed when Ryo returned with food and a sympathetic look for each of them.

**###**

Davis groaned as he lay in bed, a sheen of sweat standing out on his forehead. He shook and shuddered, heat baking throughout his body. He clutched at the sheets as the fire spread, a fire that was at once familiar, but also…different. It felt as though there were two different flames raging inside him, waging war against one another, striving for dominance. Grinding his head against his pillow, he gave one final, loud groan and then abruptly sat up, panting heavily.

"Motomiya? Are you all right?" came the voice of one of the healers, seeing him sit up suddenly. Setting down her herbs, she hurried over to Davis and placed a hand on his forehead.

"Goodness! You're on fire! Is your fire spirit acting up again or…?"

That was as far as she got before Davis' eyes glowed red, and then the heat she felt on is skin erupted in a giant aura of flame.


	43. Chapter 43

The Crow god smiled as he cast a claw over the orb, revealing the two Tamers that remained trapped in his world. They were on the move again, following the directions provided to them by their artifacts.

_Such fascinating devices,_ he thought. _So similar to the orbs, yet so different. The orbs would never have created a whole world, or merged two entities together._

He laughed.

_And now, thanks to them, they are the instruments of their destruction._

Casting his claws over the orb once more, he shrouded it with mists. The greatest strength of the Tamers and their partners made them their own worst enemies. Although the world was 'young', with just a single spell they would find monsters within those mists older and darker than the world of Digimon.

Monsters that humanity brought with them everywhere they went.

**###**

"Did it suddenly get a little mistier all of a sudden?" Takato asked as he, Rika, Guilmon and Renamon continued on their journey. Narrowing her eyes, Rika turned her gaze up from her digivice and frowned at the boy.

"You're being very observant all of a sudden," she said sarcastically. It had been getting foggier as the day progressed; something of an oddity to be sure, given the time of day, but there was a bit of a chill to the air, so she hadn't thought much of it since it didn't hinder their progress so far.

"It's just kind of weird," Takato said, adjusting his grip on the pot from the village. "Maybe it's a digital field or something."

"I'm not smelling any digimon though," Guilmon chimed in, sniffing the air. "It just smells like plain old fog."

"Oh…" Takato looked crestfallen at this. "I guess it was too much to hope for a digimon to show up who could help us get out of here, huh?"

"Probably a little," Rika said, glancing around them, making note of the steadily setting sun. Lowering her digivice, the holographic compass hovering above the screen receded and vanished. "Anyway, we should probably consider making camp or something. It's getting late and there's no sense stumbling around in the dark."

She glanced at Takato out of the corner of her eye and a small, playful smirk crossed her lips. "Wouldn't want 'little boys' to go without sleep after all."

Takato frowned at the girl, only to chuckle a second later.

"I'm pretty sure princesses need it too, you know," he joked back, stretching.

"Ouch. Takato actually makes a comeback," the fire-haired girl laughed. "Anyway, this looks like as good a place as any, so let's get started."

"Right," Takato nodded. "I'll get started on the fire pit…"

"I've got the wood covered," Rika added before turning to Guilmon and Renamon, both of whom nodded in turn.

"I'll handle the food," the vulpine digimon said before disappearing, and Guilmon took up the pot from Takato.

"And I've got the water!" the dinosaur laughed happily. Slipping the pot by its handle between his teeth, he bounded off. With everyone's camping chores decided, they all fell into them without complaint.

"Just don't go too far!" Takato called, already digging around for stone and clearing away brush. "And if you run into any trouble, run _away_ from it, okay boy?"

"Oookaaay…!"

Shaking his head, Takato smiled and stretched again, wincing when he felt something _pop_ in his arms and legs.

_We sure walked quite a lot today,_ he thought, turning over a rock and setting it aside. Taking a second to draw out his digivice and activate the compass function, he scowled at it, still blinking indicatively in the same direction it had been since they arrived in this new digital world. That just made the aches in his body all the more apparent now and he rubbed at his legs, especially his knees.

_I wonder how much farther we've got to go. It can't really be_ that _far if our digivices are picking up whatever it is they're picking up…right?_

Pocketing his digivice, he rolled that thought around in his head for a moment while resuming his work. Even after all this time, they still didn't know much about the limitations of their digivices.

_Who would have thought that they'd be able to create an entirely new world? I wonder… If they can do something like that, can't we just wish our way home?_

He frowned. It couldn't be that easy, could it?

_Then again, all I had to do was believe that a drawing of Guilmon and Kazu's drawing of a blue card made them those things… I wonder why I don't just start drawing things that can help us more in battles._

Pausing, he patted his back pocket where his drawing pad lay. Yes, it was still there along with his cards. A smile drew across his face.

_Maybe I can experiment tonight while we're waiting for dinner to cook._

Thinking about what Rika's reaction would be _if_ it worked, a small smile drew itself across his face. She'd be surprised no doubt, and likely call him a Gogglehead as well, but it would be in her usual good-natured way.

_I'm glad things between us are back to normal,_ he thought, remembering their discussions earlier in the day. There was a small twinge of doubt there, but the joking tone she took with him just mere minutes ago helped set him at ease. Rika was many things, and while she did tend to withdraw when she was upset about something, she was never afraid to let someone know what she thought of them.

He admired that about her. At least with her, he knew where he stood.

_Well… Some of the time,_ he thought with a small chuckle of amusement as he began to arrange the rocks he had selected in a circle. _It's still kind of hard to figure out what'll make her mad and everything, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I…_

He frowned, looking down at his hands, shrouded so heavily in mist that it looked to him that he had plunged them under water. Pulling them back he stood up, revealing a light sheen of dampness covering the parts of him where the mist touched.

_Did that fog just get thicker?_

There was a small _crack_ behind him, and Takato spun around to find Rika approaching him, her expression empty. It left him with a slight chill, but he dismissed it as the effect of the fog.

"Hey Rika," he called out, waving at her with a smile. "Did you…? Uh… Rika? I thought you were going to get some wood. You…"

He paused as the girl came to a halt a short way off. That look in her eyes hit him hard all of a sudden. It was a look he had seen in her once before; as though the lights were on but no one was home.

It was a look he remembered seeing atop Locomon, when Parasimon possessed her.

"I…want to sing," she said as eight, spidery legs materialized behind her back. A thin, green rope whipped up from her side and a red laser blast shot out at Takato, striking him full in the chest, knocking him into the thick fog below, where it swirled around him, drowning his scream of surprise.

**###**

"Huh?" Rika blinked as she looked up, her ears tugging at the corners of her face. Turning around, her hands clutching tightly to the pile of wood in her hands, she narrowed her eyes, listening carefully.

_I could have sworn I heard Takato just now,_ she thought, shifting her grip on the wood. Reaching out with her mind, she touched Renamon through their link, and felt the vulpine digimon come alive in her thoughts.

_"Is everything all right?"_ she asked.

_"Not sure. Do you sense anything?"_

_"No, although the fog is getting a bit thicker. You and Takato should be careful and don't stay separated for much longer."_

Rika swallowed, a feeling of dread coming over her. That scream… Yes. She was _sure_ she heard something coming from camp.

_"I'm heading back there now. Renamon… Just to let you know, I think I heard something. I'll let you know in a second if there's something wrong. Kami, I hope Takato just hit himself with a rock by accident…"_

Ignoring Renamon's faint sense of concern and amusement, Rika again shifted her grip on the pile of wood and started back in the direction of camp. It wasn't as much as she would have liked, but after everything that happened since their arrival in this world, she wasn't sure she wanted to chance being separate from the boy for much longer. Takato was good for a Tamer, she would admit, but he wasn't as aware of his surroundings the way she or Henry were. Without Guilmon, it wouldn't take much for someone or _something_ to catch him off guard.

Picking up her pace, she hurried along, cursing at the thickening fog for making it harder to find her way back to camp. As she reached what looked to be familiar ground, she passed a tree and then found herself grinding to a halt in shock, the wood falling from her arms and to the ground with a clatter.

_"Rika?"_ came Renamon's voice through their link, having sensed the surprise stop the girl cold. _"Is everything all right?"_

Rika's mouth worked, but no words came out.

Up ahead, was a swing set, and on it was herself, much younger, wearing a purple dress sitting alone with a dead look on her face.

**###**

Henry's mind went into shock as his sister slammed into the floor, and at once he felt a heavy pressure lift from off his shoulders before attempting to crush down on him once more. He sank to his knees, clutching at the sides of his head as Terriermon was knocked back by Lopmon, crashing to the floor in front of the boy.

"Mo…men…tai…" the dog-bunny wheezed half-heartedly as he struggled back to his feet. "This is…a lot of trouble just to hang on…to one keyboard…"

"I'm sorry, Terriermon," Lopmon said, wincing as she clutched at her stomach. "But…I have to protect Suzie…"

"Suzie…" Henry said through clenched teeth, looking down at his sister. He felt something in him twisting and retching at the sight of his sister, gasping as she fell into unconsciousness. His sister… His _sister!_

"Terriermon… S-Stop…" he gasped, turning his strained eyes up toward Lopmon, who now hesitated, looking at the pair curiously. "Lopmon… Suzie…"

He grasped at his head, feeling the weight crush down on him all the harder now.

_"You are mine, child of the Monster Makers,"_ spoke a voice from the depths of his mind. _"Body and soul, you are mine now, and your mind will give birth to a new world and new monsters."_

_My…sister…_

"Henwy…"

His eyes shooting open with a gasp at the sound of the pitiful voice, he saw his sister lying below him, eyes closed and hands clasped around her stomach. A soft glow materialized around her body and she began to shrink, growing younger until, finally, she had returned to her original age. She looked so small… So vulnerable. Tears sprang forth in the boy's eyes and, gingerly, he lifted the girl up into his arms and pulled her close to him.

"Suzie… I'm… _so_ sorry…" he began to cry. "I'm your brother. I shouldn't…shouldn't have hurt you… Why… Why did I…? Over a _keyboard?!"_

He blinked, feeling the heavy weight over him shake violently.

_"You are_ mine, _Henry Wong…"_

"I…am… _not!"_ Henry shouted suddenly, and at once a bright light burst free from his digivice, cascading over him and enveloping the hallway. He heard a nasty scream from the other end, and the weight crushed down on him _brutally_ in response. Darkness flared around him, and then…evaporated into a thick mist.

Henry sat there in the fog, clutching Suzie to him, his whole body shaking. His grey eyes, clear now, looked down at his little sister before, with considerable effort, he dragged himself to his feet, lifting her up into his arms as he did so…

…only to halt when he found himself standing in the middle of a room with black-onyx floors.

And there, seated before him, was a tall figure resembling Beelzemon, with large, black wings whose shadows swept out like curved hooks.

Connecting with Henry's shadow, the Crow god's mouth twisted itself into a snarl.

"You are _mine!"_ he growled, and a second later, Henry screamed.

**###**

Henry's grey eyes blinked as he found himself back in front of the door to his home, Suzie lying on his back and keyboard in hand, but not a single digimon in sight. He frowned at that, wondering why that didn't seem right to him and how it was that he found himself back here so suddenly, but…for some reason that question didn't seem to matter to him anymore.

Adjusting his grip on his sister, he let himself back into the apartment, where Mayumi was waiting, eyes wild and frantic.

"Henry…" she began, her eyes lighting on the sleeping girl. With a loud cry, she rushed over and took hold of her baby girl.

"Suzie! Oh my God, Suzie! Henry, she's…she's…"

"She took a fall," he replied numbly, his expression flat. Deep inside he felt something in him cry out against that…

_("It's my fault!")_

…but that too didn't matter. Nothing did, except for the story that remained ever on his mind.

"She'll be fine once she's slept things off a little," he said, and without another word he padded over to his bedroom and locked himself inside, ignoring his mother's questions about where Terriermon and Lopmon were as she hurried Suzie over to the couch. All thoughts were muted, save for the story that _burned_ in his head now. Digging through his things, he produced another keyboard and then he righted his fallen computer.

He winced, hearing something rattling inside. Lifting it up, he set it back down on his desk.

He was going to have to see just what kind of damage his sister did before their little tiff downstairs.

He closed his eyes, wincing once more, only this time at the image of Suzie lying unconscious…hurt, and all because of him.

In his mind, he heard the long ago crack of bones breaking… A boy from his neighborhood that he had hurt badly so long ago, screaming in pain.

_"Doesn't matter,"_ crowed a voice from deep inside. _"Your_ mine _now. Body and soul, forever and always…"_

His hands moving mechanically, Henry turned his computer back on, scowling at the garbled mess of blue that stood out prominently on its screen. It seemed all of his worst suspicions were true. Suzie had damaged it in the fall. Getting up, he began to sort through the tools he had on hand to see what – if anything – he could fix. He could transfer the program to another computer, but that would take time, and there was doubt as to whether or not his earlier machines could even handle it. This one was his most recent custom build and one built specifically for analyzing the D-Arc.

Could a lesser or older computer perform the same task?

Henry pondered that as he began to open his computer up to see what the damage was, all the while a voice whispered in his mind, drowning out the one that was his own that continued to fight back against the interloper.

_"Hurry and help the story grow… Grow so large that the world can no longer contain it. Make of me a_ true _god…"_


	44. Chapter 44

Lopmon rolled with Terriermon's blow, gasping harshly as the pain from the impact threaded its way through her tiny body.

"Terriermon…" she rasped, climbing back to her diminutive feet. "Please stop this! There's something wrong with yourself and Henry!"

"There's nothing wrong with us," Terriermon said dully, approaching her. "All we want to do is tell a good story for Suzie."

"Terriermon… S-Stop… Lopmon… Suzie…" came the voice from behind him suddenly. The voice of his partner. Frowning in confusion, he turned to see Henry clutching hold of Suzie with one hand while the other held onto his head. His shoulders were hunched and his back was bowed; his face a portrait of struggle and pain, looking for all the world as though he were locked in some titanic battle. He tilted his head to one side and turned more fully to his partner, his sluggish mind trying desperately to figure out what was going on. Henry had Suzie and had taken back the keyboard. Sure, he had been a little bit rough about it, but she _had_ attacked him first…

Terriermon felt a sudden wince of pain at that and he went down to one knee, clutching at his own head now. Something about that thought felt… _terribly_ wrong.

"Henwy…" he heard Suzie groan, causing Henry to break down into a sob then and there.

"Suzie… I'm… _so_ sorry…" he cried. "I'm your brother. I shouldn't…shouldn't have hurt you… Why… Why did I…? Over a _keyboard?!"_

_It_ does _feel like a serious overreaction…_ Terriermon thought, or rather a tiny voice inside him buried deep within. It sounded scarcely more than a whisper, yet it carried a tremendous volume that spoke to the very _core_ of his being. What they were doing…was… _wrong._

_"You are_ mine, _Henry Wong…"_ he heard a voice growl back, and then suddenly Henry shouted.

"I…am… _not!"_

With that shout, a blinding light erupted from his digivice, cascading over the hallway. With it came a nasty scream, and when the light died down, Terriermon looked up, blinking blearily, his head feeling a little less fogged, but the hallway stood in stark contrast to it, as a thick mist floated in the hallway. It didn't take a genius for either digimon to figure out what had happened.

"A digital field!" Lopmon exclaimed, rushing forward, causing Terriermon to yelp in surprise.

"Hey! Whoa! What the heck…? Lopmon! What happened?!"

Lopmon didn't answer right away, instead disappearing into the fog. Scowling, Terriermon quickly followed after her, only to halt as a blistering, gale-force wind blew through the hall.

_"Tiny Twister!"_ shouted his chocolate-colored twin, and at once the digital field was dispersed, revealing an empty hallway.

"Wha…?" Terriermon blinked, hopping over to her as she looked around frantically. "Where'd they go?"

"The Crow god…" Lopmon whispered, understanding dawning on her. "It _had_ to have been him! Just like before. He must have brought them to _his_ world…"

"Lopmon! What the heck is going on?!" Terriermon burst out, not understanding at all what manner of situation they suddenly landed themselves in. "The last thing I remember is coming home with Henry and then he's saying something about the story and then…" He frowned and staggered on his feet, feeling oddly dizzy all of a sudden. "…and then…the next thing I know, we're…fighting you?"

Turning toward her long-eared twin, a pensive look on her face, Lopmon padded over to him and took one of his long ears into her own, giving it a soft squeeze.

"I'll explain later," she said. "As best as I can anyway. Come on. We need to get back up to the apartment so we can have Mayumi call Janyu."

With that, Lopmon released his ear and dashed off, followed swiftly by Terriermon after a moment of confused hesitation.

_Henry… Wherever you are… Don't do anything silly,_ he thought as they bounded up the stairs.

**###**

Henry hummed to himself as he sat in front of his computer, this one slightly older than the one Suzie had damaged. While Suzie's actions weren't insurmountable, he felt greatly compelled to _write_ and get his work out there… Yes… _Out there._ On the Internet, and he had to hurry. The urge was overwhelming, causing his fingers to _itch_ to the point where he just couldn't wait to fix the original equipment. So now, here he sat, gazing at the screen and considering his options. The program he used had a snap, and he quickly connected his D-Arc to the computer in short order. He had the social media sites that he knew would blast the story out into the nether, and he was already uploading documents, but he also needed to continue. He…

_I need a way…_

_("My fault! My fault!")_

_…to continue the story so that it ends the way it should…_

_("I shouldn't have hurt her!")_

… _The way it_ has _to._

His chest seized up, and his muscles tensed as the two thoughts clashed in his mind. Eventually, the itch to write overcame the opposing voice and his fingers set themselves on the keyboard and began to type.

_An invasion… Yeah, that's how I'll do it. Two problems for them to deal with for the price of one. Takato is sure to fall in the chaos. It'll be a great way to end his story…_

**###**

Fire snaked along the halls, licking at the stone and any flesh it could get its burning tongues on. Here and there were the moans of those unfortunate souls who hadn't died quickly enough, their flesh and fat crackling as smoke filled their lungs, shrouding their minds with the blank mercy of unconsciousness.

Davis walked among the dead and dying, his eyes blazing bright red, his fingers flexing around three talons that erupted from his hands. He had changed a bit now. His face was now partially covered by a blood-red face mask; a single blade sprouting up from between his eyes. It was joined by red armor with orange, flame-like highlights, and from his mouth, fangs sprouted.

A spirit of fire and dragons, long sleeping within him, had _finally_ awoken, and with it was another… The _Congregation…_ urging him onward. It knew its target. He could _smell_ him, even through all this acrid smoke.

He could hear loud shouts… People were coming. He frowned, fire licking at his talons. As soon as their shadows drew into view, he unleashed a torrent of fire balls in their direction, slamming into the castle's fire brigade before they could even get started with their work. New screams tore across the air and then…nothing.

Growling, he continued onward.

**###**

Rumiko's eyes fluttered open, finding herself in her chambers, wondering how she had gotten there in the first place. With a groan, she tried to sit up, struggling to remember the most recent of events, only to find herself unable to move, save for a single twitch to her fingers. At once, memories flooded back into her and she threw even _more_ of her strength against her bindings, but it availed to nothing.

She was, for all intents and purposes, as good as caught.

"I've been trying to undo the spell that has clouded your vision," came the voice of Seiko from off to the side. "Unfortunately, it appears that whatever it is, it's tightly bound about you. So much so that it almost appears to be a natural part of your person."

From out of the corner of her eye, Rumiko saw the elder woman appear, a sad smile on her face.

"I suppose that is the power of a god when compared to an old woman such as myself."

"Mother…" Rumiko growled, her fingers attempting to trace symbols on the blankets, only for the magic surrounding her to intensify suddenly, clamping down on them _hard_ and keeping them from moving.

"We'll have none of that, dear," Seiko said, raising a hand over her, revealing a black orb. She set it hovering in place and retracted her grasp, pulling away. Rumiko gasped as the light within the orb appeared, and she felt the familiar tingle of its magic swimming through her, touching the corners of her soul.

"No…"

"I'm sorry," Seiko apologized. "I'm afraid that this is how it has to be until we can determine what manner of spell the Crow god has cast over you."

"Mother, I am _not…!"_

"You are," Seiko interrupted with a frown. "As much as it pains me to say it, we all saw something happen to you at court today, and then your attitude towards our guest changed. Even General Yamato, it seems, was affected by it, albeit in a more…subtle manner. All he needed was an order from you, so little else was necessary beyond a simple compulsion."

Placing a hand on Rumiko's arm, she slid it along her daughter's smooth skin, her eyes bent and narrowed in concentration.

"With you…the gods tried to rewrite your fate."

"Let me go, _Mother!"_ Rumiko demanded, throwing every ounce of her will against Seiko's power, but again, it slid off to no impact. Seiko was far more learned in the ways of magic than she could ever hope to be, and the difference in power showed. She knew this, of course, from as far back as her youth. She never had much aptitude for spell casting, at least when compared to her mother. She just simply hadn't been interested, preferring instead to frolic in the pleasure gardens, dreaming about the man who would be her husband…right up until she realized the totality of the responsibilities she had to bear; the people she had to protect, ringed by spears of enemies innumerable.

Now… _Now_ that became her driving force. The life of her daughter became her driving force; to prepare her for the world that she allowed herself to grow slack in

"I'll try to be as quick as I can, Rumiko," Seiko said, closing her eyes as the orb in front of her glowed even more brightly, shaking as it did so from the power she poured into it.

"Mother!" Rumiko protested, feeling the current of magic flow into her all the more strongly. _"Listen_ to me! That Dreamer… _He's_ responsible for everything! _He's_ putting us _all_ at risk if we let…him…li…"

She gasped and clenched her teeth shut tightly, the magic surging through her. The muscles in her fingers attempted to clutch at the sheets, but the magic that bound her prevented them from doing so. Sweat stood out on her forehead, but she refused to cry out. There was little else she could do…except wait.

The spell broke abruptly, and she gasped, the tension in her body breaking, and her muscles slumped within the spell. Seiko looked up, her brow knotting together.

"I smell smoke," she murmured. Taking hold of the orb, she drew it away from Rumiko, and with a word of command, her magic lifted the woman off the bed. A powerful sense of foreboding fell over Seiko as she padded toward the chamber doors. As she did so, movement from outside the window caught her attention. Turning, she saw what, at first glance, appeared to be a dark cloud, but something about it sat wrong with her. Stepping closer, she peered outward. Muttering irritably under her breath, she went over to a nearby desk and quickly produced a small rod with a piece of glass fitted at both ends, one larger with the other smaller, with the tube expanding as it drew closer to the latter. A _farglass_ it had been called, an invention of the Millenium Empire. Lifting it to one eye, she closed the other and peered forth.

The vision of the dark cloud leapt up at her, suddenly becoming _very_ close, revealing an army of crow-like creatures, all of whom bore swords.

A _Tengu._

"We have problems approaching," Seiko declared a split second before one of the wings of the castle below abruptly erupted into flames.

**###**

The first thing Takato heard when his vision began to clear was the screaming. He felt dazed as he rolled over onto his knees, one hand groping for his sword, and upon finding it, clumsily unsheathed it, nearly cutting himself in the process. He felt sluggish and stuffed full of cotton. Staggering to his feet, he looked blearily around him, seeing the chaos and destruction around him. People who were burning… Others who were screaming, calling out for help or for survivors… For an instant, he thought he was back in the field of the Red War and that everything since then had been a dream.

_"No!"_ he shouted, starting forward, only to stop when he took a closer look at his surroundings; the smashed tables and rubble…and Rika's unmoving form lying on the floor below him. With a cry of surprise, he dropped his sword with a clatter and fell to her side, carefully turning her over. She groaned in response, and her eyes fluttered open. Her forehead was bleeding.

"T-Takato…?" she whispered as he took hold of her favor and slipped it off his arm. Untying it, the knight wrapped it around her head and tightened it against the wound.

"It's okay," he said, tugging on the makeshift bandage to make sure that it was snug and tight. "You took a hit from…whatever happened just now, but you'll be okay."

His hand drifted to her cheek, instinctively caressing it, and Rika leaned into it briefly before starting to sit up. Her vision swam in response and she nearly fell back again.

"That…doesn't _feel_ like I'll be okay," she muttered, clasping hold of Takato's shoulder.

"Ah… Well, you _will_ be," Takato replied firmly, causing the girl to chuckle dryly.

"Cute," she replied. "You're so cute when you're being confident. Help me up."

Slipping an arm around Rika, he slung her arm over his neck and with a slight grunt, he helped her climb to her feet. Brushing at her face to get the blood out of her eye, she took a glance around her, taking in the situation.

"What…happened?" she asked.

"Massive release of fire magic," Ryo said, appearing next to them. "It looks like a spirit – a _powerful_ one – just manifested."

"Manifested?" Takato exclaimed. "What kind of spirit? Where is it?"

_"Dragon Scion!"_ boomed a voice, as if in answer. All eyes turned to find the armored figure of Davis – though they recognized him not – standing at the entrance to the wreckage of the feasting hall, flames curling around his body while a golden aura surrounded him. Takato grabbed for his sword, only to curse when he remembered he had dropped it on the floor in his hurry to check on Rika.

"Right there," Ryo said in response to Takato's question, unsheathing his sword. Rika narrowed her eyes, reaching out with her senses, but her head remained muddled from her injuries, preventing her from adequately discovering anything about this… _creature_ that stood before him, save for one thing only.

"It's here for Takato," she said gravely as it began to stalk toward them. Hefting his sword, Ryo fingered his jewel, stepping between the pair.

"Takato… Get the princess to safety."

"Huh?" the knight blinked in surprise before frowning. "No! You're the heir to the Millenium Empire and her betrothed!" He felt Rika squirm at that, but with his attention on the prince, he missed her sharp glare at him. "Your safety is…"

"Not your responsibility," Ryo interrupted. "Hers is."

"But… It's here for _me!"_

"And you're needed against the Crow god," Ryo said, his gaze unflinching as Davis drew closer toward them. "Rika, get him out of here before he does something stupid."

Placing a hand on Takato's abdomen, Rika steadied herself. She hated this. She was recovering, but not nearly fast enough to be of much help. Still…despite her injuries; despite how much she disliked her _fiancé,_ she didn't want to just _abandon_ him.

"Ryo…" she began, only to be interrupted by a torrent of fire that ripped through the feasting hall. The jewel on his breast glowing bright blue, an aura of light sprang up before the prince, and the flames slammed into it, evaporating into nothing more than rippling, superheated air.

"I'll be fine," Ryo said, smiling at the pair. "Get out of here. Remember, the two of you are each other's _top_ priority."

"You make it sound like we're getting married," Rika slurred, bending over – and causing a stammering, blushing Takato to adjust so as to keep a firm hold on her – to pick up her Brush Knight's sword. It was only when she passed him his blade that she realized what she just said and flushed brightly herself.

"Just _go!"_ Ryo exclaimed, just as Davis leapt toward them, the strength in his legs having grown greatly. Spinning his sword in one hand, Ryo stepped to meet him, and steel sparked as claw scraped against blade, Ryo grunting as he found himself nearly forced back.

"We'll be back for you!" Takato called, starting toward the exit. Upon realizing that they weren't going anywhere fast as they were now, Takato quickly sheathed his sword and lifted Rika up bridal style, further cementing the image in _both_ their minds. Muttering "Try not to think about it," Takato dashed off.

Seeing this, Davis spun around, his now reptilian, crimson gaze following after them. He paid for this distraction though as Ryo charged forward and ran him through, his bright, blue blade bursting through his abdomen. With a snarl, the beast-man slashed his claws backward, glowing red as they slammed into the prince's face. Flesh burned and Ryo fell back, losing his grip on his sword in the process.

Blue met crimson as the two combatants recovered, and Ryo pressed a hand against his injury, feeling the angry, heated injury spreading a song of pain along his face. The beast-man placed a hand on the blade still lodged in his stomach, and intense heat poured into it, searing the wound as he withdrew it until, finally, the sword slid out and melted into molten steel, pooling on the floor.

The beast man stomped forward, his feet unmindful of the liquid, superheated metal he splashed in.

_"Well… This is a fine mess you've made,"_ the Millenium god said from his jewel prison. _"All you did was just stab him and_ now _you lost your sword. Maybe you should have sent the knight to his doom."_

_You're all heart, Millenium god,_ Ryo thought, drawing out a knife from his belt. The steel flickered with a blue light before Davis attacked again.

**###**

Guilmon's eyes snapped open and he rose up in his stall, nostrils flaring. Smoke… He smelled smoke…and more. Danger was afoot in the world. Spinning around, he kicked at the gate keeping him in his stall and broke it down with minimal effort, causing his neighbors to neigh in surprise. He paid them no mind, and instead hurried on out, ears twitching and eyes seeking for any sign of the trouble he sensed.

He quickly found it in the form of fire from the castle ahead of him…and a swarm of Tengu coming in for a landing, bright swords flashing in the daylight.

Guilmon, shrieking, raced for the first one and in the next instant, his hooves sent blood and feathers spraying into the sky.


	45. Chapter 45

Babel slipped his fingers beneath his sunglasses and massaged his eyes. Behind him, holding a cup of coffee, was Shibumi, eyeing his friend's work.

"I'm getting too old for this," Babel groaned, adjusting his shades with a heavy sigh. "Been staring at computer screens for too long. I'm starting to think my vision's going."

"If you talk like that, you'll end up starting to believe it," Shibumi said, pulling up a chair and spinning it around. Taking a seat, he leaned his arm on the back-now-turned-front and brought himself to rest on it. Babel gave a dry chuckle.

"We're in the real world, not the digital world," he said, returning his attention to the computer screen. "I don't know how aging works over there, but as far as here goes, my body wears down whether I believe in it or not."

"Maybe, but it might wear down faster if you believe it," Shibumi replied, taking a sip from his coffee. "My grandmother on my mother's side lived well into her 90's. You wouldn't have believed it if you met her though. She looked and acted at least twenty years younger."

"Medical technology is getting better all the time."

Shibumi hummed in agreement, but shook his head all the same. "Yes, but I think there's something to belief. Maybe confidence or a positive attitude places less stress on your body. What was it Dolphin said? Something about stress chemicals…?"

"Man, don't even get to talking about biology," Babel groaned. "It's not my field of expertise." Leaning forward, he narrowed his eyes. "All this yapping isn't helping this get done any faster. The digital world is just so _huge!_ Hypnos did a lot of mapping, but there's still so much left, and it's _still_ growing! Talk about looking for a needle in a haystack… A _metal detector…_ What the heck was I thinking making that comparison?"

Shibumi nodded his understanding. They had found the Tamers easily enough before, but they knew how to traverse the digital world with their scanning equipment. The maps since Juggernaut's deployment during the D-Reaper crisis had all changed due to the time reversal, and new data just piled right on top of it. The new 'digital world' Henry created appeared to be much different as well, and, he suspected, tiny as well, which only made locating it even harder.

"I still think you're on the right track though," Shibumi said. "It's all about cutting down the noise…"

"Yeah, in a world populated by digimon who have the Light of Digivolution algorithm that the digivices also share in common," Babel interrupted. "This isn't a needle in a haystack. This is a million points of light and… Oh!"

Babel blinked beneath his sunglasses and a wide smile grew upon his face. Raising an eyebrow, Shibumi followed his gaze and found that Babel's program had finally zeroed in on a signal that matched what Hypnos had on the Tamers' digivices. A grin splitting across his lips, Shibumi clapped his longtime friend on the back.

"Well, I always heard it said that light is a spectrum. Looks like you found the right type."

Digging out his cell phone, Babel proceeded to dial Yamaki's number. "We'd better let the secret agent man know that we found our travele…"

Babel found himself cut off as the screen on the computer suddenly took on a gray discoloration, going blank for a moment before the image of a symbol – simple in appearance and lacking much in the way of detail, but shaped like a stylized bird, black with great wings spreading outward – appeared in the center of the screen.

"What the…?" was all Babel could say in bewilderment as he exchanged looks with Shibumi.

**###**

"What's happening?!" Yamaki exclaimed as he stormed into the main control room. Above him, Riley and Tally swiveled in their seats, hands racing along their control panels as they attempted to determine what was going on. On the screens surrounding them, each and every one of them, was the image of a black, stylized bird with outstretched wings.

"It looks like we've been hit with some kind of virus," Tally reported, her voice sounding strained. "We're backtracking it now, but it looks like something online tripped up our keyword detection and as soon as our systems focused on it, it hit us."

"We've been able to isolate it from our core systems," Riley added. "But whatever it is, we won't be able to hold it off for very long. It's spreading like wildfire across the network!"

Yamaki grated his teeth together. The keyword software had been a part of their surveillance system for longer than Hypnos had been in operation, but much of it had been updated to provide the Tamers some measure of personal privacy, as in the aftermath of the D-Reaper crisis they, like the Digital World, had become a subject of scrutiny and interest.

Judging from the black bird image, it didn't take much imagination for Yamaki to figure out just what it was that tripped up their systems. _Somebody_ had talked.

Before he could say anything else, his cell phone rang. Digging it out, he found Janyu's number on the screen. Hitting the reply button, he brought it to his ear.

"Report!"

_"It's the orb… It's glowing."_

**###**

Lopmon and Terriermon had just reached the top of the stairs when a heavy fog suddenly bloomed into view in front of them. Terriermon's jaw dropped in horror. _Of all the times…!_

"We've got to hurry!" Lopmon exclaimed, grabbing her twin by the ear and pulled him along. "If we can get to our partners and snap Henry out of…"

She didn't get a chance to finish, as an inky void appeared in the midst of the dense fog before exploding outward, detonating with explosive force that knocked the two Rookies back down the stairwell, the two crying out as they struck their heads on the hard stairs. Upon reaching the bottom, Terriermon struggled to rally, his vision swimming. At the top of the stairs he saw a black shadow swirling about, sending tendrils first this way and then that, taking a shape that was vaguely humanoid, but thin, with long, outstretched wings and four limbs. A beak, shaped like a knife sprouted from its face…

_Beelzemon…?_ thought Terriermon deliriously before both his vision and the shape snapped into view, and Terriermon felt a touch of dread followed by wariness. His first thought was Beelzemon again, but only in that the general shape resembled the Mega level Demon Lord in his Blast Mode. Black feathers covered the creatures body, vanishing beneath an armor of solid steel plates. The beak, a serrated affair, parted, and a long, serpentine tongue snaked out, tasting the air, and black eyes hiding behind a shining helmet looked down at them. In its two, clawed hands, it held a pair of swords.

To Terriermon, it resembled a Karatenmon, only larger.

"In the name of the god of Death," it declared, its twin swords gleaming as it spun them up into a guard position, "none shall pass."

"We're passing," Lopmon replied sternly as she climbed to her feet. Holding out a long ear, she looked at Terriermon. "Throw me."

"Huh?" Terriermon balked. "Lopmon! That's…"

_"Throw me!"_ she shouted, causing her cream-furred twin to blink in bewilderment. Lopmon was being _quite_ out of character all of a sudden.

_Is it because Suzie might be in danger?_

Deciding that he didn't have the luxury of thinking this through, Terriermon grabbed his twin by the ear and spun around at a rapid pace. There was, of course, the matter of the swords, as they would be a far more lethal baseball bat than anything out there, but unless he missed his guess…

_"Blazing Ice!"_ Lopmon shouted upon his releasing of his twin. She flew through the air, blue blasts of super-cooled energy smashing into the crow-warrior, causing ice to spread along its body, freezing it in place…for but a second.

With a ferocious cry, the bird warrior glowed, and shattered the icy bonds that held it with almost contemptuous ease. Slashing out with the flat of its blade, it smashed it against Lopmon's skull, and sent her careening down the side of the stairwell, much to Terriermon's shock.

_"Lopmon!"_ he shouted as she tumbled over the banister. Movement caught his eyes and he spun his head up just in time to see the crow warrior, light gleaming around his body, rushing toward him, one sword stabbing at him with bright deadliness.

**###**

Jeri sat on the roof of her home just outside her bedroom window, a deep, thoughtful expression on her face as she gazed at the streets of her neighborhood, glowing gold in the light of the setting sun. Her fingers tightened around her sleeves and her brow softened as the muscles in her jaw drew up against each other firmly.

_Rika… Takato…_ She brought her chin to rest on her arms, her eyes brimming with tears, though she refused to let them fall. Crying wouldn't do any good. It wouldn't bring her friends back. Yet…she wished for _something_ to provide relief.

_If only I could do something to help bring them home,_ she thought, but that too, like crying, was no good. After all, she wasn't a Tamer. Leomon had been killed and absorbed in the digital world.

Oh, how it hurt to think of Leomon. The appearance of a human version of him only brought the pain back all the harder.

A shadow fell over Jeri and a familiar weight landed on top of her head. Giving a light gasp, she sat up and craned her head, quickly locating the white creampuff using her head as a pillow.

"Calumon!"

"Hi!" Calumon chirped, hanging his head down so that they were face to face. It took him only a second to see her glistening eyes, and then he hopped down in front of her, eyes full of concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Jeri sniffed. Rubbing an arm across her eyes. "I'm just…worried about our friends." Lowering her arm, she forced a smile on her face that did little to assuage Calumon of his concerns. Walking up to her leg, the tiny digimon pressed himself against her ankle, hugging it gently.

"They'll be okay. Rika and Takato have each other, so they'll be able to get home as long as they stick together. Right?"

"Yeah…" Jeri nodded, ignoring the small touch of jealousy that sparked in her heart at Calumon's words. Although it was unintentional on Calumon's part, he reminded her of words that Kazu had mentioned when Takato had been injured in his fight with the dragon – about Takato and Rika being an item or some such. It was silly to harbor such jealousy, as they were both very good friends of hers – her best in fact – but she couldn't help but feel that way even a little bit. Even more so, she supposed, because they _could_ look out for each other, much more so than she could.

"Yeah," she continued, lifting Calumon into her arms and bringing him close to her chest for a hug. "I know. It's just…hard waiting, you know? Waiting for news or something to come in. I just wish there was more I could do instead of sitting here and waiting."

Calumon snuggled against Jeri, hoping to comfort her. Once, some months back, when the digimon returned from their exile to the digital world, Jeri had tried to use her digivice on Calumon, having thought that, perhaps, out of some thought she had when they were still trapped by the D-Reaper, they had become partners, but it turned out to not be the case.

Jeri being a Tamer, it appeared, would remain a dream unfulfilled. Calumon's ears shrunk into his head, understanding the girl's depression on the matter.

After some time, Jeri's stepmother called her inside. It was time for her to wash up for dinner. As the girl made her way downstairs, she heard the sound of the TV playing the news in the background. Passing by, she glanced in its direction, and paused. On the screen was the lead anchor, and sitting off to his right was a visual of Shinjuku, amidst which were islands of fog.

Islands that were growing.

**###**

Rika and Leo stood – or in Rika's case, sat – in the waiting room. As the name implied, they were waiting for news of Takato's surgery. Following the completion of her tests, Rika half-asked, half-demanded to be allowed to be with her knight, and Leo requested to be with her, if only to keep either of them from being rash. It was then that they found that, in order to best combat the initial problems with his bleeding, it was considered best to take him to a nearby hospital to see if they could close up the physical wounds.

_"Takato will no doubt be disoriented once he recovers,"_ he had said to Yamaki. _"Finding himself surrounded by strangers in a strange place will be quite alarming_. _If he should see familiar faces…"_

The message was received, and the pair were allowed to go to the hospital to visit the knight, although they quickly learned that just being there didn't necessarily mean they would be able to see him straight away and watch over him during surgery. Explanations of contamination and the like were a bit over their head, but Rika, at least, came away with the notion that some unseen uncleanliness that all humans had in this world put her knight's life at risk while he was in such a vulnerable condition.

"I should be the one healing him," Rika said aloud, her hands clenched into tight fists. "I have the skill to do it. I should be the one in there."

It was clear to Leo that this was more about her venting about her inability to help her Brush Knight in his vulnerable moment. She had tried before to heal him, when his injuries first surfaced, but the wound had actually _repelled_ her magic.

As he watched, Rika unclenched her hands and then curled them back inward like claws. Her eyes were set in a fearsome scowl, leaving him to think about her statements before about how the fates themselves could _die_ if they took her knight – that she would hunt them down _personally._

_Quite the fiery heart you caught, Takato. Or is it the other way around?_

Folding his arms over his chest, he leaned back against the wall, making a deep growling noise in the back of his throat. There was nothing he could say that would be of comfort to the girl. She would rage and…

_Ah…_ A small grimace grew across his face as he thought of a way to help the girl.

"You couldn't have done anything," he said, causing a pair of violet eyes to snap over at him, shining brightly in anger.

"Would you care to _repeat_ that?" she growled.

Unfolding his arms, he turned toward her.

"You couldn't have done anything," he repeated firmly. "The magic of the Crow god is far superior to yours. You know this since you already tried to combat it within Takato. What good does telling yourself that you _could do something_ matter when you saw the truth right in front of you."

Rika didn't reply with words. Not right away. Instead, she stood up and turned toward the powerfully built man, the tiled floor splintering underneath her feet despite her light step. Leo felt the hair on his arms prickle, feeling the force of her magic – powered by her spirit – beginning to rise on the air.

"You give up rather quickly for someone who fought the Crow god with just a sword," the princess growled, her crimson hair taking on a flamelike glow; or perhaps, Leo wondered – Leo _hoped_ – it was a trick of the light.

_Did I take things too far? Did I misjudge her?_

Angering a student had been a longstanding means of motivation. Trainees learned rapidly when a fire was lit under them, and it was known to give the dying reason to live, if only to spite someone they hated. Rika, he recognized, was sinking into a well of anger and despair that risked consuming her. If it could be vented…

Of course, there were some for which this method worked in the wrong way, as they already had the fire, and were willing to unleash it on anyone who caught their attention.

Leo narrowed his eyes, beginning to consider a way to defuse the situation. Rika had power after all. Considerably more so than he did. If he were careless, she might very well consider killing him.

The lights flickered, and electricity curled along their edges as the tiles cracked even further.

"Perhaps I was harsh," Leo spoke up again. "But I speak the truth. It is pointless to put the weight of the world on your shoulders because you were deficient in one area or another. Takato thought much the same, and it nearly broke him. It was why I sent him off to recuperate. I…"

"I. Don't. _Care,"_ Rika spat harshly, sparks crackling around her body now. The ominous weight in the air grew heavier for the briefest of moments, causing Leo's breathing to grow heavy, before drawing back. "Our hearts are one, Lion. We swore to each other. 'Protect and love each other.'" Her fingers curled into her palms, biting her skin. "I _should_ be in there healing him. I _should_ find a way to deal with that curse the Crow god placed on him. Upon _us!_ I…!"

The lights above them cracked and broke suddenly, plunging the room into darkness. With a curse and a word of command, a ball of light flamed into view, driving back the shadow. There was a commotion in the waiting room. Shouts of surprise and fear. Without even thinking, Rika dashed toward it, her hands slamming against the doors, only to be repulsed by the lock. With a growl, Leo moved before she could do more, and with a powerful blow from his muscular shoulder, broke the door inward, revealing an armored crow warrior standing beside her knight, the surgeons cowering in the corner of the room, and holding a massive blade over its head.

"Die now, for the glory of the god of Death!" the crow cried, hefting the blade in preparation to drive it downward. With a roar, Leo surged forward and dove over the surgeon table, slamming into the warrior as it brought the sword down, driving it backward. The two rolled onto the floor until finally Leo lay on top, his hands locked tightly around the crow's neck.

He gave a sharp twist, and a loud snap filled the air, and a second later, the crow lay limply on the floor, eyes rolling up into the back of its head as it gasped for the last of its dying breath.

Panting now, Leo staggered back and turned toward Takato. "Is he…?" he began, only to stop as he felt something hot and wet trickling down his stomach. Looking down, he spied the crow's sword, sticking out of his abdomen, having lodged itself there during the struggle. He frowned, and then gave a grim laugh.

"It seems that I have met my destiny at last," he said, bringing his arm to rest on the surgeon table. "But at least, I do this in service to a good cause."

"No," Rika said, approaching him, the atmosphere of magic returning to her. "It won't end for you here, I promise you. I…"

As she spoke, a dense fog materialized behind her, and an inky void grew from deep within it, forming a humanoid-shaped figure. Sensing it, Rika spun around, focusing her magic on the shadow. Lightning curled around her arm and with a word of command she flung it like a spear, only for the ink to solidify into an armored crow warrior. The lightning struck the plates guarding the warrior, and dissipated. Rika's mouth fell open in surprise, but she had no time to consider the ramifications of this as the crow dashed toward her, sword flashing in the princess' light.

With a roar, Leo grabbed hold of the sword stuck in his abdomen and pulled it free with a wet, spurting sound. With a flick of his wrist, he rushed to meet the warrior. Metal clanked as the steel clashed and speared through the plate. The crow made a surprised, gurgling sound, vomiting blood onto the warrior. Grabbing hold of it by the neck, he gave a sharp twist to finish it off and then staggered back, panting heavily.

"Take Takato and get him out of here," he rasped, ripping the sword free from his fallen opponent.

"Leo… Your injuries…"

Rika's eyes twitched, and she saw more fog rolling in, seeping in from the ceiling through the vents. More ink held within. More enemies.

"I'll hold them here," he said, taking a practice swing of his sword. "You don't have the time to cast a healing spell on me and their armor is protected by enchantments. I'll buy time for your escape with my life."

"No! This is…"

_"There's no time!"_ he roared as the ink began to solidify again, this time into multiple opponents. With a powerful roar, Leo leapt to meet them. Her heart raging in fury, Rika rushed over and grabbed hold of her knight, pulling him off the table as she did so.

"Survive!" she whispered over the clash of steel and the screams of the hiding doctors. Mouthing words of commands, she pulled her knight onto her back and with a grunt, began to hurriedly carry him out of the room.


	46. Chapter 46

Terriermon narrowly dodged the crow warrior's blade as it sunk into the wall, cutting through the drywall with ease. Rolling to his feet he took in a deep breath and fired a series of green energy pellets; small in size and charge, but they packed enough force to push the crow backward and to lose its grip on its weapon. He targeted the head and legs specifically, hoping to force it on the defensive, but the crow quickly realized that it had to attack when its back hit the wall. Sparks flew from its armor, its protection being chipped away by the rabbit, but it took them anyway, banking on whatever time it could give him until it could close the distance and wrap its hands around the dog-bunny's throat… To _squeeze_ the life out of it.

Terriermon, however, wasn't having any of that.

Dashing forward in a sudden counterattack, he dropped down and spun, his ears lashing out and entangling the crow's ankles, causing it to slip and fall down the next flight of stairs with a heavy, loud clangor. Terriermon quickly ran after it, opening his mouth wide and gathering energy this time; great amounts of it, creating an orb of emerald light that was far larger than what he normally made. Taking aim as the crow hit the bottom – Lopmon lying not too far off and starting to recover – he fired.

The blast rocketed through the stairwell and slammed into the crow warrior full in the head, shattering both helm and skull and sending shards of shining data flying across the room before the rest of its body evaporated along with it. Landing at the bottom, Terriermon hurried over to Lopmon, who got up to her feet in a wobbly manner, a tiny paw clutching at her head and nursing what looked like a nasty looking bump already starting to rise beneath her fur.

"Are you okay?" Terriermon asked, holding out an ear for her to support herself on. Taking the offered gesture, Lopmon staggered, but nodded.

"I will be…once I see Suzie…"

Terriermon was about to say more when an alarm bell went off in his head. Spinning on a dime, he saw another field of fog filled with an inky void starting to materialize at the foot of the stairs, and he groaned inwardly.

"This Crow god guy really needs to _momentai!"_ he complained before both he and Lopmon fired off their twin attacks at the swirling darkness up ahead.

**###**

Mayumi frowned from her spot by the stove and glanced toward the door, hearing the sounds of commotion. For a moment, she swore that she heard her neighbors shouting something, but it sounded distant and greatly muffled, and was punctuated every so often by a heavy _thump_. Stepping back, she frowned slightly, wondering if that meant Terriermon and Lopmon were coming back. Henry's lack of information regarding the two disturbed her greatly. Something about the way he was _acting_ since he returned disturbed her.

Then again, what else around this 'latest adventure' her two children were having wasn't unsettling? Her daughter had been kidnapped, grew up, shrank down, and then took a fall!

As much as she loved the digimon, there were times that she found herself wondering if they would have been better off having never become entangled with them in the first place.

Taking a quick look over at Suzie's still resting form to make sure that she was all right – she hadn't found any injuries when she looked her over earlier and otherwise was breathing normally – and made her way over to the door.

As she reached the door, she heard the sound of something heavy behind it, like feet, coming to a halt. Pausing, she glanced down at the foot of the door, finding two shadows filtering in through the crack.

A second later, the door shook violently as a hammer blow struck it, causing the door to splinter along the corner by the lock. Screaming in surprise and fear, Mayumi fell back, tripping over the step as she did so. The door shuddered again, and this time a shining white blade speared through. It shifted up and down, its owner working to remove it before it was finally wrenched free.

Mayumi saw an eye – bird-like and inhuman – peak in, and there followed an inhuman squawk. Spinning around, she found her footing and grabbed hold of her daughter and then raced toward Henry's room.

_"Henry!"_ she shouted, slamming against her son's door, only to gasp in horror as she found the doorknob unwilling to budge.

It was locked.

"No…" Mayumi whispered as behind her, the entrance to her home shook again as its attacker continued to hack at it, sending splinters of wood flying into the apartment.

**###**

Rika stood stock still as she gazed at her younger self, sitting on the swing set, her expression dull and lifeless…at first. Rika remembered this day well. Remembered how she tried to get herself started swinging, kicking with her feet, only to fail to gain any real momentum, having been too young to be able to do it herself and relying on her father – who often took her to the swings before he left her life – to help her. Eventually she exploded with unbridled fury at the unfairness of her father having left her and attempted to take it out on the swing, eventually exhausting herself.

She recalled that it had been the last time she ever went on a swing.

The scene played out exactly as she remembered it, the girl kicking relentlessly and then starting to cry and flail about as her fury finally burst out into the open, and soon enough, she found the young girl lying on the ground, panting heavily, having jumped off, her face stained with tears. Her fingers curled together and she pounded the ground with a tiny fist.

"Stupid swings," she growled. Sitting up, she glared venomously at the swing, as if everything in the world that was wrong was all its fault.

Rika wiped at her eyes, realizing that she was now crying a little, and she sniffed in spite of herself. While she had largely moved on from that moment, her possession by Parasimon coupled with her sympathy for everything Jeri had gone through – what she had lost – had brought up the old pain. She never really thought about seeing her father, and truthfully didn't want to; but a part of her began to wonder about him recently, the death of Jeri's mother having become something of a grim reminder of the opportunity she had that the puppet-loving girl didn't.

_"Rika…?"_ came a voice from in her mind. At first, she thought it was Renamon, the only other voice that she ever allowed in her mind.

"I'm okay," she mumbled, lowering her arm and scowling at the scene before her. "I…think the Crow god cast some kind of spell over me because we destroyed his army. It's making me see things."

The next moment however brought a sudden cry of surprise, causing Rika to double over and clutch at the side of her head. That voice… It _wasn't_ Renamon at all! In her distraction, she hadn't payed close attention to the way it sounded.

_Takato!_ she thought, her violet eyes searching the playground around her. She remembered why she went in search of him, finding nothing but Shinjuku's playground and the surrounding streets.

_Renamon!_ she called out mentally, only to hear nothing from her partner in response.

"It's all hopeless," she heard a voice from behind her. Turning, she saw that it came from her younger twin, glaring darkly at her. "You know they're all going to go away someday."

Rika narrowed her eyes at this. This…didn't sound like her. The anger, yes, that much was hers, but the voice…

"Okay," she began, drawing her hands into fists. "I'm no stranger to having my head messed with. Who are you _really?_ Are you the Crow god?"

The little girl simply sat there, still scowling at her. In her head, she heard Takato's panicked cry, and in her mind's eye, she saw him dodging something…a wrench of enormous size. She didn't know how she was seeing this, but it wasn't the first time something like this had been reported. Takato had mentioned hearing Jeri once or twice while she had been held captive by the D-Reaper despite not being anywhere near her, and Jeri had said something similar about Takato calling for help when they were in the digital world. And Guilmon…

Guilmon perhaps more so than anyone.

"You see it, don't you?" the girl continued, her violet eyes flashing at Rika's. "You'll keep everyone at arm's length and attack them when they try to help you. Eventually they won't be able to take it anymore and they'll all leave you…"

"You don't know the first thing about me," Rika cut in derisively, turning away. "I've already been down this road before. That's old news. I know who I am and who I can trust. Takato may be a Gogglehead…"

She closed her eyes, reaching out with her senses instinctively, feeling for the boy who she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt was lost in the same spell that she was. A small smile drew across her face as she felt something warm close around her and she took a step forward.

"…but he _never_ leaves his friends behind."

With that declaration, light burst forth around her, and she found herself atop a very familiar train.

**###**

Takato awoke to the sound of clacking and the vibration of the floor beneath him. Sitting up, he saw green cushioned seats in a style that looked _old,_ and _familiar._ He groaned, recognizing where he was. He was in the passenger section of a digimon known as Locomon; a steam-train styled digimon that appeared some time back, controlled by Parasimon and compelled to keep on running so as to create a digital vortex that would allow the rest of its comrades to rain down on Shinjuku and take it over.

_But…this already happened,_ he thought in confusion. _So why am I here again? Did something happen? Did I get sucked into a data stream? I thought Henry's world didn't have data streams._

A quick look outside revealed his home city of Shinjuku, causing the boy to blink in surprise.

_Just…what the heck is going on here? The last thing I remember was… Rika!_

He was on his feet instantly, turning this way and that, trying to find any sign of the girl, completely missing the fact that she had shot him earlier. Upon finding no sign of her, he let out a worried groan.

_Great. Just great, Matsuki. Of course, something like this has to happen as soon as we separate. Okay… Well, I guess now all that's left is to figure out what we're going to do._

He glanced around for a moment before finally deciding that he might as well head up to the front and see what he could do to put a stop to Locomon. For now, it seemed like the most logical thing to do given Locomon's current path and objectives…provided that they were the same as before in whatever it was that was going on. He briefly wondered if it was some weird time travel situation, like something involving a digimon like Milleniummon. It sounded crazy, but at this point, anything was on the table.

_There's been a lot of twists and turns in this adventure,_ he thought before the door to the car opened and in walked Rika. Hearing her, he turned and a broad smile bloomed on his face.

_"Rika!"_ he said excitedly, starting toward her. "You're here too! All right! Do you know what's going…?"

He had only half a second to recognize first the vacant look in her eyes and then the wrench before the latter was swung up in a vicious, nasty looking arc that would crack his head open if she connected. Through reflexes engrained into him from many long months of dodging digimon attacks, Takato dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding getting hit by the fire-haired girl.

"Trying to interfere is useless," Rika said in a dull, robotic voice. "I want to sing…"

"Oh man… This again," Takato groaned, and with that, he turned and shot off like a bullet. Rika watched him go for only a second before starting after him, dragging the wrench with her.

_Why is this happening again?_ Takato wondered as he opened the door that led to the next car. He shot a look over his shoulder as Rika continued on toward him relentlessly and he shut the door behind him, hoping that it would, at least slow her down a little bit until he figured out a way to deal with the situation. Hiding in the car wouldn't do much good since there was very little to hide in that would be useful. He looked up, thinking furiously.

He grated his teeth together and grabbed the ladder that went topside. He hated the idea of going up there like before, but if he could fool Rika into thinking he went into the car…

Remembering that he needed something to do just that, he grabbed the knob to the other car door and yanked it open, letting it bang uselessly against the railing before hauling himself upward.

_Let's hope that buys me a second or two,_ he thought. Behind him, he heard the door he exited smash open as Rika swung the wrench, obliterating the barrier.

_Or not,_ he thought, realizing that she had seen him before he could scramble the rest of the way up. The girl soon followed after him, Parasimon lifting her like a doll.

"This is _not_ working out any better than last time," he groaned, turning around to face his friend. He was out of options. He _had_ to reach her.

"Rika…" he began, only for a green tentacle to slid out from behind her and fire a violet energy blast at him. Takato lurched and fell forward, his right foot going wide, narrowly avoiding getting hit by the attack. Righting himself in a kneeling position, he looked up at the girl.

"Rika!" he shouted over the wind that billowed around them. "Rika, listen to me!"

"Sing…" the girl repeated, her voice sounding sad now. "I want…to _sing!"_

She hefted the wrench, having not lost it this time around as she had before. Climbing to his feet, Takato locked eyes with her. Hearing the sad tone, his expression softened.

"I never did ask… Why do you want to sing?"

The girl paused, tightening her grip on the wrench before resuming her course toward the boy. The tentacle wavered, energy charging at the tip.

"Sing…" she repeated in a softer tone. "I want to sing…"

Rika charged in and swung with the wrench, and Takato ducked underneath it. An idea…a crazy idea came to him and as he rose back up, he spread his arms apart…

…and hugged her.

Rika's hair tickled his face as he held her close to him, waiting for either his friend to break free and send him to dreamland as she often promised, or for the tentacle to shoot a laser beam right through him. None of those things however happened, and he tightened his grip around her.

"I'll sing with you," he said softly to her, and he wracked his brain for the lyrics as he remembered them. He had looked them up from the brief bit he overheard the first time, right before Rika attempted to murder him that is, as the few lines stuck in his mind quite clearly. It hadn't been hard to figure out what the song was, once he knew he remembered that it was on her playlist. Clearing his throat, he began to sing. Soft and gentle was his voice, though truth be told he would hardly call it anything 'good', as his voice cracked in all the wrong places, but he kept going anyway, hoping to reach his friend.

_You promised the sunset we'd always, always be together_

_I want to see you now, so please tell me how you feel_

_You came into my lonely heart so suddenly_

_You gently wrapped up the place that hurt_

_I've never felt this relaxed_

_I want to put that warmth in my pocket so I can walk around with it…_

_You promised the sunset we'd always, always be together_

_When I'm sad I watch the growing orange glow_

_The sunset whispers to me that it would surely, surely be all right_

_I want to see you now, so please tell me how you feel_

_I want to do my best everyday_

_To greet you with that smile you love so much…_

"Takato…?"

The boy blinked as Rika's voice broke across the song. Surprised, he looked down, getting a face full of Rika's ponytail, hiding the blush that was now competing with her hair for attention.

"Uh…yeah?" he asked, wondering if this meant that he broke through to her.

"Stop. You're ruining the song."

Takato relaxed against her and gave the girl a squeeze. "Sure," he chuckled warmly. "Whatever you say, Rika."

Rika was positively _burning_ within his grasp, and she curled her fingers together against his lap, but she didn't move just yet, and simply waited for her blush to die down before she pulled back, their eyes meeting. They stared at each other for one long moment before, coughing in embarrassment, Rika got to her feet, followed quickly by Takato.

"Right. So…um…anyway, I figured out that the Crow god is messing with our heads. Right now, we're both in…whatever was making you worried or whatever."

This time, she couldn't meet the boy's gaze, and instead swept her eyes across Locomon, wondering why _this_ incident bothered him so much. Was it because of her song? Because of what she said when Parasimon was controlling her?

_He got to see a little bit of something that I don't let others know about,_ she thought quietly. _Even if it was by accident…_

"Is that what happened?" Takato asked, rubbing the back of his head as Locomon continued to clack along. "Talk about weird, but we can get out of this, right? I mean, you had something similar too, didn't you, and you're here, so…"

Before he could finish his sentence however, the train digimon _lurched_ violently, and suddenly Takato found himself being thrown backward. He hit the roof of the car and began to roll. Seeing this, Rika's eyes went wide with horror and she dove toward him, shouting his name.

_"Takato!"_

Her hand went out as Takato rolled off the roof, and his hand swung desperately toward hers. Their fingers met, and then latched onto each other…!

In the next moment, they found themselves lying on the dirt ground of Shinjuku Park, hands clinging to each other tightly as they breathed heavily.

"O-Okay…" Takato gasped. "That was a close call."

"Y-Yeah…" Rika nodded, planting her head to the ground to rest her heart for a moment while she detached her hand from his. The Crow god… Oh, she was going to make him _pay_ for _everything_ today…and with interest.

She smirked and glanced at the boy. "Good thing you had me here though," she continued. "What would you do without me to keep you out of trouble, Gogglehead?"

Takato gave a harsh laugh as he turned toward her. "I don't know. I'm pretty much _in_ trouble when I'm with you. I'm not complaining though."

"Good," Rika said, hoisting herself back up to her feet. She looked around, wondering if they were really home, or if they were still in the Crow god's spell. She quickly found her answer when she spied herself – the younger girl – still seated in the dirt by the swing, scowling angrily and sniffing.

"She looks pretty upset," Takato observed, joining her. "Hey, she kind of looks like you!"

Rika nodded, not willing just yet to admit that it _was_ her. Not that it mattered however, as a young, brown-haired boy rushed over to her, causing them both to blink, each for different reasons.

"And that's _me!"_ Takato exclaimed, pointing. "That's definitely me! From when I was a kid! What…?" He paused and glanced over at Rika. "We're not home, are we?"

"No," Rika replied, gazing at the scene. This didn't happen in her memories. She got up from her misery and went home, never coming back to this place. As they continued to watch, the younger version of Takato dropped down next to the younger version of Rika, looking worried and saying something.

_Knowing him, he's trying to comfort her, and not doing it very well._

'Rika' wiped at her eyes, and the boy, looked around awkwardly for an adult to help before finally deciding on hugging her. A bit brave for him, but he was at a loss for what else to do. A surprised look painted a portrait across the girl's face and Rika felt a small smile draw itself across her face.

_"Rika!"_ came the voice of Renamon, and the girl looked around to find a crack of white light starting to form behind them.

"Looks like this is our stop," she said, her hand finding his unknowingly, their fingers slipping around each other for reassurance. "Renamon's showing us the way back."

Takato looked at her and smiled before – also unknowingly – giving her hand a small squeeze.

"Then let's go," he said with a nod.

Hand in hand, the two Tamers left their younger counterparts behind in a flash of light, but not before Rika had a final thought on the whole thing.

_Crow god… We're coming for you, and you're not going to like us when we get to your place._

With that, the light snapped shut and the world evaporated into a parting mist, revealing Renamon and Guilmon, looking at the pair quizzically.

**###**

The Crow god gave a startled cry of surprise as his Seeing Orb flashed with bright light before dying abruptly, the fine crystal cracking violently. His eyes wide with amazement at this development, he took hold of the orb and drew it in close to inspect the damage.

_Their combined spirit was enough to do this?!_ he thought in amazement. His awe over such power quickly turned to a growing fear as he realized the forces he was playing with.

_Princess and knight or two Tamers… It seems that it no longer matters which one of them it is. As long as their hearts beat as one, they can destroy me. I must accelerate my plan and…evolve as they do. Evolve beyond their power and become as a_ true _god._

Tightening his clawed hand around the orb, he shattered it into a thousand crystalline slivers that shone in the torchlight of his fortress.


	47. Chapter 47

Takato grunted as he carried Rika through the castle halls, his crimson eyes searching for servants or guards… _anyone_ who could help him get Rika to a place of safety. Behind him, he heard the shouts of Ryo as he engaged with the fire spirit, feeling like a coward for abandoning him like that, even though Rika was his responsibility as _her_ knight. He tried desperately not to think about it.

He also tried desperately not to think about how he was carrying Rika as though they were wedded.

_Everything about my being here is wrong,_ he thought, tightening his grip around Rika, pulling her even closer to him. _I've done nothing but cause trouble since coming here._

Yet he couldn't leave. Not now, in spite of his sincere belief that he _should_ do so. Not with everything going on. He had to see this through all the way to the end, as best as he could.

"Takato…" he heard Rika mutter against him.

"Ah…yeah?" he asked, pausing in the middle of a corridor, looking around him, all the while wondering just _where_ all the servants and guards were. Much to his surprise, he hadn't found _anyone._

_Just what's going on around here?_

"Put…Put me down," the princess rasped, pushing against him. "My head…I need to clear it a little bit, and your stupid heart keeps breaking my concentration."

"My heart…?" Takato began, only to decide, upon seeing Rika's dark glare daring him to comment on it, that it just wasn't worth arguing over. Finding a quick, out of the way spot, Takato set the princess down and, much to his surprise, brushed aside her bangs to get a better look at her head wound.

"It doesn't look too bad," he said, breathing a sigh of relief, tracing his hand around the wound. "I've seen worse during the war. It just looks uglier than it really is."

"It doesn't _feel_ like it," Rika grumbled, kneading her forehead while ignoring the presence of his hand against her face.

"It's going to be that way," Takato acknowledged, taking off her favor from around his arm and pressing it against the blood-stained injury. "But believe me, you got lucky. Whatever it was that hit you either wasn't that big or only just clipped you."

"Typical," Rika grunted, adjusting her seating so that she wasn't slouching, forcing Takato to move the makeshift bandage up higher. "I've taken on your 'Takato-luck'."

She craned his head in his direction, violet eyes gazing into his crimson ones. Reaching up, she took hold of his hand and held it there, pressing her favor to her face. After a moment, she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.

"It's not…bad luck though," she murmured, sounding tired. Seeing this, Takato felt a flash of panic, and he reached out with his other hand, lightly touching her cheek.

"H-Hey! Don't close your eyes! With a wound like that, if you go to sleep you might never wake up again!"

"Give me a minute…"

_"No!"_ With great effort, he grabbed hold of the princess and began to lift her back up. If she was like this, she was in _worse_ shape than he thought! He had to find her grandmother and…!"

There was a flash of light and suddenly Rika bopped him in the head.

"Down. _Now."_

"Wha…?" Takato blinked, looking at her in bewilderment.

"I said I just needed to clear my head," she said, removing the favor, revealing a blood-covered scab where her injury had been. It looked as though it had been there for a while, and the skin around it was pink and fresh. "My head still hurts, but I took care of the worst of it with a healing spell." She grimaced, placing a hand on her stomach. "I'm going to feel ravenously hungry in about a minute though…"

"The mess hall is, well, a mess," Takato pointed out, placing her gently back down on the floor. Frowning, he looked over his shoulder. "I don't understand. There should be more people around here investigating what's going on, but there's…no one. It's like a tomb in here."

"And we have one in the making back there," Rika added, climbing shakily to her feet. Her head still throbbed, but this time dully. She couldn't manage much more than a quick fix to stop the bleeding in her current condition, and it was _always_ harder to heal herself than to heal others. With others, she didn't have their nerves screaming in her body to disrupt her focus, and the energy penalties hit her harder since she depended entirely on her own reserves.

_I'll_ really _be ravenous before too long,_ she thought miserably, remembering a time when she broke her shin and healed it up. She had been so hungry when returning home that she nearly ate raw meat to quiet her stomach. When you were so hungry that your guts felt like they were eyeing your backbone with a side order of ribcage, _anything_ looked good.

"We have to get back there," Rika said, staggering out into the hallway. "I don't care _how_ quiet it is around here, we can't just leave Ryo like that. The spirit that manifested… We can't just leave it to him. We have no idea how powerful it is!"

"I'm with you on that," Takato said, following up behind her, staying close enough to catch her in the event that she lost her balance, but just far enough to let her work things out on her own. "But your condition…"

He had barely a second to catch sight of motion from out of the corner of his eye before he grabbed hold of Rika by the arm and jerked her back. The princess was just about to curse and demand what the big deal was when a crossbow bolt came whistling down the path where she had been, slamming into stone directly to their side. Swearing an oath under his breath, Takato drew his sword and, keeping himself pinned against the wall, he hefted his blade and held it out by the corner, angling the steel to see what he could catch through a reflection.

He saw a mottled shape, huge and black, birdlike in appearance, at the window on the other side, and as if to confirm the apparition, it squawked loudly before fluttering away for a better angle…or entrance.

"We have company," he said. "A crow soldier is here."

Rika's face paled at this news. "The timing is too perfect to be anything but coincidental. It must have released the spirit."

"I'm going to see about getting a better look," Takato said. Staying low, he dashed out into the hall and hurried up to the window. He could hear noises coming from outside. The familiar sounds of steel clashing on steel and…a horse whinnying.

_That sounds like Guilmon,_ he thought, glancing over the edge.

In the courtyard, there appeared to be a whole _flock_ of crows, diving in from the skies, bypassing the walls completely. Here and there were crows that had fallen in battle, felled by archery or sword, but they were fewer compared to the guards who were now retreating into narrower spaces, attempting to deny the crows the advantage that their ability of flight gave them.

In the thick of it all, bloodied and screaming a battle cry as he kicked out with his red-stained hooves, was Guilmon.

"Oh gods…" Takato breathed in horror.

**###**

Suzie awoke in Mayumi's arms to the sound of her mother furiously banging on Henry's door while the door to the apartment shuddered. A loud squawking noise resounded throughout the apartment and she tightened her grip on her mother's shirt fearfully, looking up with a trembling lip.

"Mommy…?" she whispered, seeing a fragment of the door go flying into the room. There came the loud cry again, this one sounding triumphant, as if overcoming some barrier far greater than that of a mere door. Looking around with her heart banging away in her chest, she tried to find her partner, only to come up empty.

_Lopmon… Where's Lopmon?_

_"Henry!"_ Mayumi shouted, slamming her fist against the door _hard_ now. "Open up this door, _now!_ Do you hear me?!"

There came no response from the other side, and Mayumi pressed herself against the wood, listening for the sound of anything within. She couldn't be sure, between the hammering of her heart and the hammering of whatever was tearing their door down, but she could have sworn she heard the sound of a keyboard being typed on.

Summoning her strength, she adjusted Suzie in her arms. "Hang on, sweetie," she said before throwing herself against the door. It shook, but held, and Mayumi fell back, her shoulder having nothing but regrets for the act.

From the entrance, there came a particularly loud _bang,_ and Mayumi's face paled.

_That wasn't the sound of the door being chopped at,_ she thought. _It was banging against the wall…_

Whatever was on the other side, it had just now gained entry to their home.

"Oh no…" Mayumi whispered, hugging Suzie close to her as she looked helplessly around for somewhere to flee to. She wasn't going to reach Henry in time. Whatever was going on in his room, it was clear that it was keeping him from hearing her or anything else for that matter. The sick, heart-stopping horror of realization dawned on her that she was forced to make a choice now. She had to hide and hope that she could save Suzie, leaving her son to his fate.

"Henry…" she began to sob, starting toward the bathroom, hearing the sound of something thumping into the apartment. A shadow fell across the floor and she quickened her pace, knowing she didn't have much time.

"Lopmon…" Suzie whispered, beginning to squirm, but Mayumi shushed her, quickly closeting them off in the bathroom and locking the door. She looked around, searching for a better place to hide, not trusting the intruder to overlook this room.

"Lopmon… We need Lopmon…" Suzie continued to insist. "Tewwiewmon… Henwy…"

"Shhh…" Mayumi whispered, patting her daughter on the head, hearing the sound of heavy, stomping feet approaching down the hall. Tears swam across her vision, blinding her. Her son was alone in his room and she could do nothing to protect him…

_Can I even protect Suzie…?_ She wondered, hurrying over to the room containing the bathtub.

"Lopmon…" Suzie continued, becoming louder now. She was fully awake now, and although she didn't fully understand the situation, instincts engrained into her from her brief experiences as a Tamer told her that they were in danger. Where was Lopmon? The last thing she remembered was being older and fighting her brother…

Older…

She started to cry, realizing that she was smaller and younger all over again. Her wish had been destroyed and now Lopmon wasn't there either. She was helpless! She couldn't protect her mother or anyone! Not as she was now!

"Henwy… Lopmon…"

"Suzie!" shushed Mayumi, panicking at her daughter's sudden increase in volume. "Suzie! You've got to keep quiet or…"

The sound of heavy feet came to a stop in front of the door, and behind it, Mayumi could hear the low call of a bird.

A second later, the door shuddered, and a splinter broke across its surface.

**###**

Rika lugged her unconscious knight through the hospital's hallway, ignoring the sound of clashing steel behind her until it died off, blending in with the chaos of the hospital staff as they raced this way and that, trying to restore power. Security hurried along, barking orders to each other. Very little of it made sense to her, but for now, her only concern was making sure that they escaped the building. The crows were here for her knight after all. _Not_ the mortals.

"T-Takato…" she grunted, feeling her strength lessen somewhat as her spell began to wear off. Cursing under her breath, she rounded a corner and took the first empty room that she could find, setting him down on the bed. Brushing a hand over his face, she pressed her lips together tightly. He looked fine, for the most part, though he continued to look a little pale. His injuries had been stitched up He remained unconscious however, which was a problem.

Closing her eyes, Rika lost herself to the sea of her magic and placed a hand upon his chest. She saw him in her mind's eye, envisioning his hurts and tracing them throughout his body. She could sense the Crow god's curse working on him still, though she didn't yet understand the nature of the magic. It was… _different._ It didn't quite feel like the magic she used or what she saw coming from gods previously. It almost felt like…like…

_…like there are a thousand eyes on us and a thousand visions of us,_ she thought. She scowled at that, hating the image. She envisioned Takato – _her_ Takato, healthy and strong. To her, it was the _only_ image that mattered. She mouthed the words that gave life to her magic and laid it out over Takato. The magic took root in him, and she felt his injury close up, health steadily returning to him. It was difficult of course. The curse was _strong,_ and it would be too easy for it to beat back her own magic right now…

The sound of a crow shrieking was all the warning she had. Eyes shooting open, Rika ducked down, narrowly avoiding having her head taken off by the swing of a crow-warrior's sword. With a Word of Power, she fired a bolt of lightning at the creature, only to curse when she saw that, like before, her attack struck it full force, only to dissipate into nothing.

_Protected armor,_ she cursed. _I should have known._

The crow turned toward her, but Rika didn't give it a chance to counterattack. Its spell-guard protected it from a direct assault, but, as she remembered learning from Takato, there was more than one way to attack an opponent.

Placing her hand on the floor, she again mouthed a Word of Power, and the floor caved in beneath its feet. The crow warrior squawked in surprise and grabbed hold of the edge as it lunged forward, sword clattering on the floor as its massive wings flapped uselessly, taken too much by surprise to truly give it any loft. Wasting no time however, Rika dashed forward and snatched up its fallen sword. With a battle cry, she swung the blade and its keen edge _bit_ into the Crow warrior's neck, sending a spray of sparkling red light flying through the air. The bird jerked with a croak and then slumped backward, releasing its grip on the edge of the hole, causing Rika to grunt in surprise as its weight began to drag her along with it. She tottered, hanging on a hairsbreadth of falling…

_"Rika!"_

The flame-haired girl grunted as Takato suddenly barreled into her, having woken up just in time to see her slay the crow with its own weapon. Although he didn't understand what was going on, he didn't need to in order to know that his princess and love needed him in that very moment. The slumber and confusion that lay on his body left him and his muscles moved before he could even think, racing over to the hole and leaping over it, crashing into the girl. The ichor-stained sword ripped free from the crow's neck as its body plummeted below, dissolving into innumerable shards of light, and then the two lovers, still united, crashed into the wall.

"Ow!" Rika gasped as they slammed into the wall before toppling down to the floor. "Takato! You big…big… _Brush Knight!_ Careful!"

"Sorry," the knight apologized, helping her to her feet. "It's just…I saw you in trouble and…" He glanced around him, confused by his surroundings. "Uh… W-Where are we?"

"Never mind that for now!" Rika said, hugging him close to her and kissing the crook of his neck. "Gods, it's good to see you up and about again. You had me worried there!"

Wrapping his arms around the princess's waist, Takato kissed her back. "Sorry. I'll try not to do that again."

Rika chuckled against his cheek and planted a kiss on the soft skin. "Don't make a promise I can't let you keep," she said. "If I can't get you to stop worrying about me, there's no way I can stop worrying about you." Pulling back, she gazed at him with a soft smile, running a thumb beneath his eye and tracing it down to his lips. Her smile vanished however as she thought of the chaos outside the room and of Leo, who stayed behind to sacrifice himself for them.

_That…is something I'll have to tell him later though,_ she thought. _After we've secured ourselves and determined what's going on._

"Come," she said, handing him the crow's sword. "We need to get out of here. We need to get to Hypnos."

**###**

Yamaki learned a long time ago that 'safety' was not the sort of term he would use to describe Hypnos.

He supposed that it began when the Devas took over Juggernaut and used it as a method with which to attack the real world, but there were many other incidents since then that convinced him of this viewpoint, of which the invasion of the D-Reaper ranked the highest. Since then, though Hypnos could be considered a castle, and a well-fortified one at that, he simply could not view it as a safe haven from the conflicts between the worlds. If anything, its fortification was a sign of how unsafe it was now.

With the sheer amount of access that Hypnos had over the world along with its connections to the digital world, it practically screamed 'target'.

"It began almost immediately before our systems started malfunctioning," Janyu reported to Yamaki as the man gazed at the glowing orb, his hand clenching around his lighter tightly.

"The timing of this is no coincidence," Yamaki said. "Is there any way you can deactivate it?"

"Unfortunately, that's outside of our capabilities at the present. The algorithms are similar to the digivices, but altered…"

"Can we _destroy_ it?" Yamaki interrupted, turning toward the Monster Maker. Seeing the man blanch slightly – though whether from his raised voice or the idea of destroying such a unique piece of digital programming Yamaki couldn't tell - he relaxed his tone.

_"Can_ it be destroyed?" he repeated. Furrowing his brow, Janyu glanced back in the direction of the glowing sphere.

"It's as physical as any of the digimon that are in the real world, but it would require a digital-based attack to truly destroy it."

"We have the scanning equipment," Yamaki said. "If we turn up the intensity of the scans high enough, perhaps we shatter the bonds between the data."

_It worked during my experiments on digimon when I was first designing Juggernaut,_ Yamaki thought. _As long as it's digital in nature, it should be effected by the equipment. The only question is, to what degree and whether or not those systems are compromised._

Before Yamaki could give any further orders regarding the Crow god's 'gift' to the world, Janyu's cell phone rang. Pulling it out, he flipped it open.

"Mayumi?" he began. "Is everything all ri-?"

_"Janyu!"_ came the panic-filled voice of his wife on the other end. _"Just listen! I don't have much time! I…I'm sorry, but…"_

"Mayumi?" the man blinked, feeling a heavy dread fall over him. She sounded terrified, and there was something going on in the background. Something loud, like an impact striking something over and over.

_"I said just_ listen!"Mayumi exploded. _"Please Janyu! I'm sorry, but don't come home! There's no time! I-I love you! I just wanted you to know that before…!"_

There was a loud _bang,_ this time followed by the sound of something splintering and a loud, bird-like call. Mayumi screamed, as did someone else – a young girl.

_Suzie! Mayumi!_

The screams continued even as Janyu dropped his phone on the floor and tore off, ignoring Yamaki's exclamations and questions.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: The inspiration for this fic comes from a pair of pictures I saw some months back that had Henry telling Suzie a story about Takato and Rika as a knight and princess, with the second one involving a blushing Rika interrogating poor Henry about what kind of stories he’s telling about them with Takato in the background trying to calm her down. I don’t know who drew them and I hope that it’s not a problem that I write a fanfic based off these images. At any rate, I hope you all enjoy this little fic. ‘Till next time. :P  
> -Crazyeight


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